SYSLOGD(8)

📦
version 2.8 · 10 versions
, in alpine 3.24

🌸 SYSLOGD(8) — syslogd, aka the Syslog Server 💅

okay so first things first, bestie: this is the manual page for syslogd from the System Administration Utilities set. she's the syslog server, she's the main character of your logs, and she's about to get explained to you in full. no cap, every single flag is coming. 🫶

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

syslogd [OPTION...]

that's it. that's the whole vibe. she takes options and she logs things. 🎀

💖 DESCRIPTION 💖

Log system messages. that's literally her job. she's the server that catches the messages and writes them down. iconic behavior, honestly.

so here's the full flag rundown, and yes we're doing all of them, don't scroll away on me:

  • -4, --ipv4 — restrict her to IPv4 transport. heads up: this one is the default, so she's already doing it unless you say otherwise. 💅
  • -6, --ipv6 — restrict her to IPv6 transport instead. pick a lane, queen.
  • -a SOCKET — add a unix socket for her to listen to. you can stack these — up to 19 of them, so go off, but there's a limit and that limit is nineteen.
  • *-b, --bind=ADDR* — bind the listener to this address/name. tell her exactly where to sit.
  • *-B, --bind-port=PORT* — bind the listener to this port. 🔥
  • -d, --debug — print debug information. oh and this also implies --no-detach, so keep that in mind (see -n below before you get confused, bestie).
  • *-D, --rcdir=DIR* — override the configuration directory. default is /usr/local/etc/syslog.d. 🦋
  • *-f, --rcfile=FILE* — override the configuration file. default is /usr/local/etc/syslog.conf.
  • -h, --hop — forward messages coming from remote hosts. (yes, the flag is literally "hop". she's a little bunny about it. 🐇)
  • --ipany — allow transport with IPv4 and IPv6. both. at once. very versatile of her. 🌈
  • -l HOSTLIST — log hosts in HOSTLIST by their hostname. give her the list, she handles the naming.
  • *-m, --mark=INTVL* — specify the timestamp interval in minutes. set it to 0 for no timestamping at all. ⭐
  • --no-forward — do not forward any messages. and it overrides --hop, so if you've got both set, this one wins. periodt.
  • --no-klog — do not listen to the kernel log device /proc/kmsg. kernels need love too but sometimes not.
  • --no-unixaf — do not listen on unix domain sockets. heads up: this overrides -a and -p, so those two get straight up ignored if this is on. 💀
  • -n, --no-detach — do not enter daemon mode. she stays in the foreground, right next to you, like a clingy bestie. 🫶
  • *-p, --socket=FILE* — override the default unix domain socket /dev/log.
  • *-P, --pidfile=FILE* — override the pidfile. default is /usr/local/var/run/syslog.pid. 📁
  • -r, --inet — receive remote messages via internet domain socket. now she's taking messages from other machines. social butterfly energy. 🦋
  • -s DOMAINLIST — a list of domains that should be stripped from the FQDN of hosts before their name gets logged. so like, you get the short cute version of the hostname instead of the whole long thing. 🎀
  • -S, --sync — force a file sync on every single line. every. line. she is thorough. ngl this is the "i don't trust the disk cache" option. 🔥
  • -T, --local-time — set local time on received messages. because timezones are a scam and we're all just doing our best. 😭
  • -?, --help — give this help list. she'll explain herself. 💖
  • --usage — give a short usage message. the tl;dr version.
  • -V, --version — print program version. classic. 👑
Also, important detail, don't miss it: mandatory or optional arguments to long options are also mandatory or optional for any corresponding short options. so if a long one needs a value, its shorty needs a value too. they match. that's the rule. ✨

🎀 AUTHOR 🎀

Written by many authors. a whole collective. a group chat of contributors, if you will. 💜

🙈 REPORTING BUGS 🙈

found something cursed? Report bugs to <bug-inetutils@gnu.org>. don't be shy, be specific. 🐛

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.

This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.

there is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law. like, literally none. she's free and she's doing her best and that's the deal. 💀

🌸 SEE ALSO 🌸

  • logger(1) — the lil sibling that sends the messages.

and also, the full documentation for syslogd is maintained as a Texinfo manual. if the info and syslogd programs are properly installed at your site, the command

info syslogd

should give you access to the complete manual. so if you want the whole lore, that's where it lives. 📚

okay that's the whole page, you're officially a syslogd understander 🧚💖 — this was GNU inetutils 2.8, dated April 2026, and she ate, no crumbs. slay. ✨

📦 where this page comes from