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How to Read Server Logs and Crash Reports

Find the line that matters in a game server log: log levels, stack traces, the first-error rule, and where logs and crash reports live in your panel.

5 min read · Updated Sep 23, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

When a server crashes or refuses to start, the reason is almost always written in its log. Logs look intimidating, but you rarely need to understand all of it: you need to find one line. This guide shows you how to read a log line, what the levels mean, how to read a stack trace, and where logs and crash reports live in your panel.

Anatomy of a log line

Here is a typical line from a Minecraft server:

[14:02:11] [Server thread/INFO]: Done (8.412s)! For help, type "help"

  • [14:02:11] is the time. It is the server's clock, which may not match your time zone.
  • Server thread is which part of the program wrote it. The server thread is the main game loop.
  • INFO is the level: how serious the line is.
  • Everything after the colon is the message.

Other games format lines differently, but nearly all of them include a time, a level and a message somewhere.

Log levels

Level Meaning Should you worry?
DEBUG or TRACE Fine detail for developers Usually hidden; ignore
INFO Normal activity: startup, joins, saves No
WARN Something is off, but the server carries on Sometimes; many warnings are harmless noise
ERROR Something failed Yes, if it lines up with your problem
FATAL or SEVERE The server cannot continue Yes, this is usually the crash itself

Do not chase every warning. Plenty of healthy servers print the same harmless warnings on every start. Focus on errors that happen when your problem happens.

The first-error rule

One real problem often causes a pile of errors after it, as other parts of the server trip over the first failure. The last error on screen is usually a symptom. The first error after the last normal-looking line is usually the cause.

  1. Find the last line where things looked normal.
  2. Read downwards to the first ERROR, Exception or FATAL.
  3. Fix that one, restart, and read again. If the server now gets further before failing, you are making progress.

Reading a stack trace

A stack trace is the list of steps the program was taking when it failed. Here is a common one from a Minecraft plugin server:

[12:40:03 ERROR]: Error occurred while enabling ExampleShop v2.1 (Is it up to date?)
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: net/milkbowl/vault/economy/Economy
	at com.example.shop.ShopPlugin.onEnable(ShopPlugin.java:57)
	...
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: net.milkbowl.vault.economy.Economy

How to read it:

  1. The first line says what failed: the ExampleShop plugin could not start.
  2. The exception type says why: NoClassDefFoundError means it needed code that is not there.
  3. The at lines show where. Look for a name you recognise, like the plugin's own name, rather than the game's internals.
  4. Caused by is the root. When a trace has several, the last Caused by is usually the real reason. Here, a class from Vault is missing, so the fix is to install the Vault plugin this shop depends on.

Common errors and what they usually mean

You see It usually means
NoClassDefFoundError, ClassNotFoundException A missing dependency, or a plugin or mod for another version
NoSuchMethodError Something built for a different game version
OutOfMemoryError The server ran out of RAM
FAILED TO BIND TO PORT or Address already in use The port is taken, often by a second copy still running
found character '\t' that cannot start any token A tab in a YAML config file; YAML only allows spaces
NullPointerException A bug, or a config value that is missing or misspelled

Crash reports

Some games write a separate, more detailed report when they crash.

  • Minecraft saves them in the crash-reports folder, named with the date and time. Near the top you will find a Description line and the exception. Modded servers list every loaded mod, and Forge and NeoForge reports often point at a suspected mod.
  • A Java crash that takes down Java itself leaves an hs_err_pid file (followed by a number) in the server's main folder. These usually point at memory or a native library rather than a plugin.

Where logs live in your panel

The Console tab shows the live output. It keeps only recent lines, so for anything older, open the log files on the Files tab or download them over SFTP.

Game Where to look
Minecraft Java logs/latest.log; older logs are .log.gz files in logs (download and unzip); crashes in crash-reports
Valheim with BepInEx BepInEx/LogOutput.log
ARK: Survival Evolved and Ascended ShooterGame/Saved/Logs/ShooterGame.log
Don't Starve Together server_log.txt inside DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/Master and .../Caves, one per shard
Enshrouded The folder set by logDirectory in enshrouded_server.json, logs by default
Other games Whatever the Console printed; also look for a logs or Logs folder, or files ending .log

When the panel reports a crash

If the server process stops unexpectedly, the panel may print its own message saying the server crashed, along with an exit code. A few worth knowing:

  • 0: a normal stop.
  • 1: the game quit because of an error; read the lines just above.
  • 137: the process was forcibly killed, usually for going over its memory limit. See signs your server is running out of RAM.
  • 139: a native crash inside the game itself.

Searching a long log

  1. Download the log and open it in a text editor.
  2. Use Find (Ctrl+F, or Cmd+F on a Mac) for ERROR, then Exception, then Caused by.
  3. Search for the name of the last plugin or mod you added.
  4. Match the timestamps to when the problem happened.

Asking for help with a log

Copy from the last normal line down to the end of the first error, and paste it as text rather than a screenshot. Before you share it anywhere, remove passwords, tokens and anything private. Then bring it to our Discord, where the team can read it with you. For startup problems specifically, see server stuck on starting.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

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