# Read the console and the logs

> Where the server tells you what went wrong: the live console, latest.log, crash reports, and what the crash doctor already read for you.

Source: https://fadehost.com/docs/read-the-console-and-logs/

Almost every problem announces itself in the console. Knowing where to look saves a ticket.

## The console

The **Console** tab streams the server's output live. **Search** filters it to matching lines, **Follow** keeps the newest in view, and the strip above it names the boot phase. Console output stays in the tab after a restart; stop reasons say who stopped the server (you, a schedule, sleep when empty, the boot watchdog).

## The files

- `logs/latest.log`: the current run, in full.
- `logs/2026-09-24-1.log.gz`: earlier runs.
- `crash-reports/crash-<date>-server.txt`: a crash report names the mod or plugin and the line, near the top under "Caught exception from".

Open them in **Files** with **Edit**, or download them.

## What to read first

1. The last 30 lines before the server stopped.
2. The first `ERROR` or `Exception` after the start line; everything after it is usually a consequence.
3. On a modded server, `has failed to load correctly` or `LoadingFailedException` names the mod.

## The crash doctor

When the server stops on its own, the panel reads the log and puts the cause in plain words on the server page, with a fix when there is one (a client-only mod, a wrong Java, missing memory). Read it before the raw log; it has usually already found the line.

## Good to know

- `Can't keep up!` is not a crash: the server is falling behind its tick rate. See [Why is my server lagging?](/docs/server-lag/).
- Ask the Copilot on the server page; it reads the same console and stats.