Docker Logs Grep Guide
Filter docker compose logs with grep-style context, invert and dedupe modes.
A short companion for Docker Logs Grep: when it is useful, what it expects, and what to check before using the result.
What it does
Paste the output of docker compose logs and filter it like grep. Match with context (the equivalent of grep -C, with separate before and after counts), show matching lines only, invert the match, count matches, or list unique matching lines. Context groups are separated by "--" and line numbers use ":" for a match and "-" for context, so the output looks like grep -n -C. Everything runs in the page, so log contents never leave the browser.
Use the tool
Open Docker Logs Grep, add the input the tool asks for, run it, and check the output before using it elsewhere.
Input and output
- Input: text.
- Output: text.
- Category: Workflow.
Privacy and processing
Processing happens locally in your browser. This tool does not upload the input to ilham.dev.
Questions
How do I get 10 lines before and 5 lines after a match?
Leave the grep type on Match with context, set Lines before to 10 and Lines after to 5. That is the same as grep -B 10 -A 5, and grep -C would use the larger of the two.
What is the difference between Regex and plain search?
With Regex checked, the pattern is a JavaScript regular expression, so error|timeout matches either word and ^api matches the start of a line. With Regex unchecked every character is literal, so a dot matches only a dot.
Can I dedupe a noisy log?
Yes. Use the Unique matching lines type, which behaves like grep ... | sort | uniq -c and prefixes each distinct line with how many times it appeared. A pattern of . matches every line, so it can dedupe the whole file.
Related guide
For broader background, see Filtering Docker Logs Effectively.