POSTLOGD(8)

💖 POSTLOGD — the postlogd(8) page, bestie edition 💖

okay so we're in the System Manager's Manual section, and this is postlogd(8), and honestly? she's the quiet one at the party who's actually running everything. let's get into it 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

postlogd — Postfix's internal log server. that's it, that's the girl. 💅

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

postlogd [generic Postfix daemon options]

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🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

so basically: this program logs events on behalf of Postfix programs when the maillog_file configuration parameter specifies a non-empty value. that's her whole job and she does it flawlessly, no cap. ✨

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💀 BUGS 💀

okay bestie this is the messy part, listen up 😭

• Non-daemon Postfix programs don't know that they should log to the internal logging service before they have processed command-line options and main.cf parameters. These programs still log earlier events to the syslog service. like, they show up late to the group chat, it is what it is 🙈
• If Postfix is down, the non-daemon programs postfix(1), postsuper(1), postmulti(1), and postlog(1), will log directly to $maillog_file. These programs expect to run with root privileges, for example during Postfix start-up, reload, or shutdown. main character energy only 👑
• Other non-daemon Postfix programs will never write directly to $maillog_file (also, logging to stdout would interfere with the operation of some of these programs — not the vibe 🌈). These programs can log to postlogd(8) if they are run by the super-user, or if their executable file has set-gid permission.

⚠️ Do not set this permission on programs other than postdrop(1), postqueue(1) and (Postfix >= 3.7) postlog(1). seriously bestie, do not. that's the whole warning. periodt. 💅

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🎀 CONFIGURATION PARAMETERS 🎀

heads up: changes to main.cf are not picked up automatically, because postlogd(8) terminates only after reaching the max_idle time limit. so if you want your change to actually land, use the command:

postfix reload

that speeds up a change. slay. 🔥

the text below provides only a parameter summary. See postconf(5) for more details including examples — she's got the lore, go read her. 📖

• config_directory (see postconf -d output) — The default location of the Postfix main.cf and master.cf configuration files. 🗂️
• maillog_file (empty) — The name of an optional logfile that is written by the Postfix postlogd(8) service. empty by default, so it's giving "off unless you say so" ✨
• process_id (read-only) — The process ID of a Postfix command or daemon process.
• process_name (read-only) — The process name of a Postfix command or daemon process.
• syslog_name (see postconf -d output) — A prefix that is prepended to the process name in syslog records, so that, for example, "smtpd" becomes "prefix/smtpd". it's giving glow-up 💅
• service_name (read-only) — The master.cf service name of a Postfix daemon process.
• postlogd_watchdog_timeout (10s) — How much time a postlogd(8) process may take to process a request before it is terminated by a built-in watchdog timer. the timer is watching, bestie, behave 😭

Available in Postfix 3.9 and later:

• maillog_file_permissions (0600) — The file access permissions that will be set when the file $maillog_file is created for the first time, or when the file is created after an existing file is rotated. 🧚

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🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• postconf(5), configuration parameters
• syslogd(8), system logging

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🍓 README_FILES 🍓

Use "postconf readme_directory" or "postconf html_directory" to locate this information.

• MAILLOG_README, Postfix logging to file or stdout

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👑 LICENSE 👑

The Secure Mailer license must be distributed with this software. fr fr, keep the license with her. 📜

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⭐ HISTORY ⭐

This service was introduced with Postfix version 3.4. she's been iconic since day one 💖

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💜 AUTHOR(S) 💜

• Wietse Venema
• Google, Inc.
• 111 8th Avenue
• New York, NY 10011, USA
• Wietse Venema
• porcupine.org

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and that's the whole page bestie!! 🎀 it's from the System Manager's Manual (that's the postlogd(8) one, in case the group chat lost the plot) — go forth and log responsibly 💅✨🦋