Go terminal program geolocates website visitors
Programming Snapshot – Go Geolocation
© Lead Image © bowie15, 123RF.com
Rather than using Google Analytics to geolocate visitors to his website, Mike Schilli uses a simple terminal program in Go for a live-tracking session.
Whether users are browsing through my US blog [1] or finding out about the city hiking trails [2] I've put together in my adopted home of San Francisco, it gives me great pleasure to see how readers navigate the content by tracing the associated web server's logs. In this issue, the terminal UI, Logdrill, grabs one or more access logfiles on the web host, finds which pages have been requested, and displays the latest hits in a continuously scrolling list box. The bottom line of the terminal UI even lists the country of origin of a requesting web client and some of the user's geodata (Figure 1).
A web request's source IP can be used to determine where it came from. Before the web server delivers the requested page, it writes this address – along with the date and path information for the requested page – to the access.log file (Figure 2).
Digging Deeper
This IP can now be used to determine where in the world the request to the web server originated. This goes beyond a reverse lookup of the client's DNS entry, which only takes you to the domain in the best case.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.
-
What Open Source Pros Look for in a Job Role
Learn what professionals in technical and non-technical roles say is most important when seeking a new position.
-
Asahi Linux Runs into Issues with M4 Support
Due to Apple Silicon changes, the Asahi Linux project is at odds with adding support for the M4 chips.
-
Plasma 6.3.4 Now Available
Although not a major release, Plasma 6.3.4 does fix some bugs and offer a subtle change for the Plasma sidebar.
-
Linux Kernel 6.15 First Release Candidate Now Available
Linux Torvalds has announced that the release candidate for the final release of the Linux 6.15 series is now available.
-
Akamai Will Host kernel.org
The organization dedicated to cloud-based solutions has agreed to host kernel.org to deliver long-term stability for the development team.