An access log is a text file which contains a full report on all the files accessed by your Internet site visitors. All the files which were requested in one way or another shall be included, so when you have a PHP script app and a visitor opens only the home page, for example, you might find many files inside the log. It is because there are elements on the home page which are embedded - parts of other pages, pictures, and so forth. These files will be listed in the access log, allowing you to get a detailed picture of the way your website performs. The info is in plain text format, so the logs are often referred to as "raw data" too. An access log shows the name of every requested file, the path to it, the date it was accessed, in addition to the user’s IP address, web browser and OS. More info, such as the referrer website, is typically included as well. A log file may be processed by various desktop programs for statistical purposes as an addition to the web statistics supplied by your web server.