slogkey(1)

🎀 slogkey(1) 🎀

okay bestie, welcome to the slogkey manual page, we're doing crypto key management today and honestly? it's giving main character energy 🔐✨

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✨ NAME ✨

slogkey — manages the cryptographic keys for use with the {{ site.product.short_name }} secure logging environment. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

slogkey [options] [arguments]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so, the slogkey utility is literally the key manager for the secure logging module of syslog-ng OSE. no cap. 🫶

use this utility to:

• create a master key 🔑
• derive a host key that a secure logging configuration can actually use
• display the current sequence counter of a key 👀

the options decide which operating mode you're in, and heads up — the options are mutually exclusive. pick one, bestie. one. not two. periodt. 💀

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💜 ARGUMENTS 💜

the arguments depend on the operating mode, so let's break it down like a group chat with three tabs open:

🍓 Master key generation

call sequence:

slogkey --master-ḱey <filename>

• <filename>: the name of the file to which the master key is written. 🎀

🧚 Host key derivation

call sequence:

slogkey --derive-key <master key file> <host MAC address> <host serial number> <host key file>

• <master key file>: the master key from which the host key is derived. 🔑
• <host MAC address>: the MAC address of the host on which the key is used. and ooh, plot twist — instead of the MAC address, you can supply any other string that uniquely identifies a host, for example the company inventory number. iconic, honestly.
• <host serial number>: the serial number of the host on which the key is used. same deal — instead of the serial number, you can supply any other string that uniquely identifies a host, for example, the company inventory number. 🌈
• <host key file>: the name of the file to which the host key is written. ✨

NOTE: the newly created host key has its counter set to 0, indicating that it represents the initial host key k0). (yes. the stray paren is in the original. no, i will not be elaborating. 💀) this host key must be kept secret and not be disclosed to third parties. it is required to successfully decrypt and verify log archives processed by the secure logging environment. as each log entry is encrypted with its own key, a new host key is created after successful processing of a log entry and replaces the previous key. therefore, the initial host key needs to be stored in a safe place before starting the secure logging environment, as it is deleted from the log host after processing of the first log entry. 😭 protect her. she will not survive the first log entry. 🫶

🌟 Sequence counter display

(this one's in the original with no extra deets attached, so we keep it exactly as it came, bestie 💖)

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💅 OPTIONS 💅

• --master-key or -m — generates a mew master key. (yes, "mew." the original said it, i'm keeping it, it's iconic 🐱) <filename> is the name of the file storing the newly generated master key. 🔑
• --derive-key or -d — derive a host key using a previously generated master key. 🌸
• --counter or -c — display the current log sequence counter of a key. 👑
• --help or -h — display a help message. 🫶

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🎀 FILES 🎀

/Users/hofi/Develop/Balabit/syslog-ng/build/install/bin/slogkey

/Users/hofi/Develop/Balabit/syslog-ng/build/install/etc/syslog-ng.conf

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• The syslog-ng.conf manual page 📖
• The secure-logging manual page 📖

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and that's the whole vibe check, bestie — this page is from version 4.10.2, dated 18 December 2025. go forth, guard those keys, and keep k0 safe. slay 💖✨👑