What are the advantages and disadvantages of using log files of the web server to track file accesses in PHP?

Using log files of the web server to track file accesses in PHP can provide a centralized location for monitoring and analyzing file access patterns. However, it may require additional configuration and access permissions to view the log files. Additionally, relying solely on server log files may not provide real-time tracking of file accesses. 

// Example PHP code to log file accesses to the web server log file
$file = 'example.txt';
$ip = $_SERVER['REMOTE_ADDR'];
$timestamp = date('Y-m-d H:i:s');
$logMessage = "$timestamp - $ip accessed $file\n";
file_put_contents('/var/log/apache2/access.log', $logMessage, FILE_APPEND);

Keywords

log files web server file accesses PHP advantages disadvantages

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