Finding and Displaying Laravel Log Modification Time Using find and stat

The following command is used to find all laravel.log files within the /var/www directory (or any specified directory) and display their last modification time along with the file name:

find /var/www -name "laravel.log" -exec stat --format="%y %n" {} +

Command Breakdown:

1. find /var/www -name "laravel.log"

• Searches for files named laravel.log within the /var/www directory and its subdirectories.
• You can replace /var/www with any directory path where you want to search.

1. -exec stat --format="%y %n" {} +

• For each file found:
• stat retrieves detailed information about the file.
• --format="%y %n" formats the output to show:
• %y: The last modification time of the file.
• %n: The full file name.

Purpose of the Command:

This command is particularly useful for systems where the ls --time=modification option is not supported. It provides an efficient way to:

• Locate specific log files (laravel.log) in a directory.
• Display the last modification time and file name in a clean, formatted output.

Example Output:

Running the command may produce output like this:

2024-12-06 10:32:45.123456789 /var/www/project1/storage/logs/laravel.log
2024-12-05 18:25:10.987654321 /var/www/project2/storage/logs/laravel.log

This clearly shows the last modification time and the full path of each laravel.log file.

Key Advantages:

• Comprehensive Search: Finds files recursively in the specified directory.
• Clear Output: Displays both modification time and file path in a readable format.
• Cross-Compatibility: Works on systems without ls --time=modification.

You can adapt the command for other file types or directories as needed.