# How can I enable request logging for Cascade CMS?

> Add an AccessLogValve to tomcat/conf/context.xml to write a request log alongside the other Tomcat logs.

URL: https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/cascade-administration/administration-tools/enable-request-logging.html
category: Cascade Administration
article-type: how-to
content-kind: faq
release-availability: all
tags: errors, installation
updated: 2026-10-06

Request logging is configured on the application server, not in the CMS interface:

1. Stop Cascade CMS.
1. Edit `tomcat/conf/context.xml`.
1.  Within the active `<Context>` element, just before the closing `</Context>` tag, add:
    ```xml
    <Valve className="org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve"
         directory="logs" prefix="cascadecms_request." suffix=".log"
         pattern="%t %U %a %m %H %b %h %s" resolveHosts="false" />
    ```

1. Start Cascade CMS.

With the configuration above, the request log is created in `tomcat/logs` as `cascadecms_request.log`. Its contents look similar to this:

```bash
[13/Dec/2022:13:51:35 -0500] /ajax/navigationtree.act 127.0.0.1 GET HTTP/1.1 731 127.0.0.1 200
[13/Dec/2022:13:51:36 -0500] /render/page.act 127.0.0.1 GET HTTP/1.1 4285 127.0.0.1 200
[13/Dec/2022:13:51:36 -0500] /renderfile/355799867f0000010020a239cfb967ab/files/css/hh-standard.css 127.0.0.1 GET HTTP/1.1 485 127.0.0.1 200
```

> **Matching requests to users**
>
> The request log cannot output the Cascade CMS username. To connect a remote IP address to a user, use [Audits](https://www.hannonhill.com/cascadecms/latest/articles/cascade-administration/audits.html) filtered by type "Login" to see the IPs users logged in from.
>
> Additional parameters and options are documented in the [Apache Tomcat Access Log Valve reference](https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-9.0-doc/config/valve.html#Access_Log_Valve).