An access log is a text file that contains a full list of all the files accessed by your website visitors. All the files which were requested in one way or another shall be included, so if you have a PHP script application and a visitor opens only the home page, for example, you might find numerous files inside the log. It is because there are resources on the home page that are embedded - parts of other Internet pages, pictures, and so forth. All these files shall be listed in the access log, so you're able to get a complete picture of the way your Internet site functions. The data is in plain text format, so the logs are frequently called "raw data" too. An access log provides the name of each requested file, the path to it, the date it was accessed, in addition to the user’s IP address, world-wide web browser and OS. More information, like the referrer site, is usually supplied too. A log file can be processed by various desktop applications for statistical purposes as an addition to the web statistics created by your website hosting server.