$ journalctl
Query the systemd journal
DOCUMENTEDServicesUbuntu 24.04 LTS baseline
Synopsis
journalctl [OPTIONS...] [MATCHES...]What it does
- `journalctl` reads entries from the systemd journal.
- `-u` filters by systemd unit and `-f` follows new entries as they arrive.
Examples
View recent journal entries
journalctlFollow new entries
journalctl -fView a service's logs
journalctl -u nginxView logs from the current boot
journalctl -bImportant details
These examples are intentionally conservative. Command behavior can still depend on filesystem state, permissions, locale, shell, installed package version, and other system configuration.
For exact option semantics, the linked authoritative documentation is the source of truth.