An access log is a text file containing an extensive list of all of 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 site visitor opens just the home page, for example, you might find many files inside the log. This is because there are things on the home page which are embedded - parts of other Internet pages, pictures, and so on. These files shall be listed in the access log, so that you can get a full picture of the way your website performs. The info is in plain text format, so the logs are sometimes termed "raw data" as well. An access log shows the name of every requested file, the path to it, the date it was accessed, as well as the user’s IP address, world-wide web browser and Operating System. More information, including the referrer site, is sometimes included as well. A log file may be processed by various desktop programs for statistical purposes as an addition to the web stats provided by your website hosting server.