Reading DayZ Admin Logs (ADM and RPT)
Find and read DayZ server logs: the ADM admin log for connections, chat, hits, kills and building, the RPT log for errors and crashes, and how to use them to settle disputes.
Which Log Holds What
DayZ writes its logs into the profiles folder of your server. Open it from the Files tab.
| File | Contains | Read it when |
|---|---|---|
DayZServer_x64_<date>_<time>.ADM | The admin log: connections, chat, hits, kills, deaths, and optionally building and positions | Investigating players: PvP disputes, raids, cheating reports |
DayZServer_x64_<date>_<time>.RPT | The report log: start-up, errors, warnings, mod problems | The server will not start, crashes, loot does not spawn |
script_<date>_<time>.log | Script messages and script errors | A mission script misbehaves |
crash_*.log and dump files | Crash details | Sending a crash to support |
A new set of files starts with every server start, named with the date and time, so the newest file is for the current session.
What the ADM Log Records
Every line starts with the time, then the event. Always recorded:
- connections and disconnections;
- chat messages;
- hits on players, with attacker, body part, damage, weapon and distance;
- kills and deaths, including the killer, weapon and distance, and deaths from bleeding, infected, falls or drowning;
- players going unconscious and waking up.
A typical kill line looks like this:
21:14:07 | Player "Mira" (DEAD) (id=... pos=<7420.2, 2860.9, 12.4>) killed by Player "Tomas" (id=... pos=<7390.5, 2871.3, 11.8>) with M4-A1 from 32.1 metersPositions are map coordinates written as <x, z, height>: the first two numbers are what map sites like iZurvive use, and the third is the height.
Extra Logging You Can Turn On
Four keys in serverDZ.cfg add detail. If the Settings tab does not show them, add them to the file by hand in the Files tab while the server is stopped. Each needs a restart.
| Setting | Adds |
|---|---|
adminLogPlacement = 1; | Placed tents, traps, stashes and other items |
adminLogBuildActions = 1; | Building, dismantling and destroying base parts, and raising or lowering flags |
adminLogPlayerList = 1; | Every online player and their position, every 5 minutes |
adminLogPlayerHitsOnly = 1; | The opposite: only hits by players, dropping hits by infected and animals, for a smaller PvP-focused log |
For base raid disputes you need build actions logged before the raid happened. Turn it on early.
The IDs in the Log
Players are identified by name and id=. The ID is the DayZ player ID, a hashed form of the Steam ID, not the Steam64 ID itself.
- Names can be changed and copied, so follow a player by their ID, not their name.
- DayZ documents the same ID for
whitelist.txtandban.txt.
Using Logs to Settle Disputes
"I was killed by a cheater." Find the kill line. Check the weapon and distance: a pistol kill from 600 meters is suspicious, a rifle from 300 is not. Look at the hits leading up to it.
"My base was raided unfairly." With build actions logged, search for "dismantled" and "destroyed" near the base's coordinates, and note who and when. Without that logging you only have kills and connections to go on.
"They combat-logged." Look for a disconnect line right after a hit on that player.
Chat abuse. Chat lines include the sender's ID, which is what you ban.
Take a copy of the relevant lines (or download the file) before acting, so you still have the evidence after logs rotate.
Log Readers and Privacy
Admin logs are long. Sites such as iZurvive can load an ADM file and draw kills and positions on the map, which makes raids and fights much easier to follow.
Uploading a log to a third-party site shares your players' names, IDs, chat and movements with that site. Only upload what you need, and prefer tools that process the file in your browser.
The .RPT log can also repeat BattlEye lines that contain players' IP addresses. Treat downloaded logs as personal data and do not share them publicly.
Disk Space and Keeping Logs
Logs accumulate with every start, and adminLogPlayerList and detailed RPT logging make them larger. Delete old log files from profiles/ in the Files tab now and then, and download any you want to keep first.
Before sending logs to support, note the date and time of the problem, so the right file and lines can be found quickly.