6. Segmented Log

A log file that never stops growing becomes hard to operate on. Splitting it into smaller, equal-sized parts keeps writes fast and cleanup simple.

Background

A log file that keeps growing turns into two problems. First, it gets harder to manage. Second, it becomes a performance bottleneck. That is especially true when the system reads the whole thing at startup. Older entries need to be cleaned up on a schedule. Sometimes they need to be merged with others. Both jobs are hard to do safely on one large file.

Definition

Split the log into smaller parts, called segments