Five terminals for one bug
The error is in Laravel, the 502 is in Nginx and the timeout is in the worker. You line up timestamps from three windows by hand.
01
Free for Windows, macOS & Linux · v0.1.0
Strata Every log, local or remote, in one calm window.
Open your log folders, your servers, your containers and your cloud logs. Strata merges them into one stream by time, colors it by severity, and finds the error you came for in about a second.
- No account needed
- Nothing to install on servers
- Read-only on production
- Command line included
- First rows of 5 GB
- 0.3 s
- Log formats
- 33
- Stack trace languages
- 9
- Price
- $0
Reading logs today
The answer is in the logs. Somewhere.
One request touches a web server, an app, a queue and a database, each with its own log on its own machine. Strata puts them back together.
SSH, then tail, then grep
Every server is another login, another path to remember and another rotated .gz you forgot to search. Production is one wrong command away.
02Stack traces as a wall of text
Forty framework frames between you and the one line of your own code that broke. Different in every language.
03The same error ten thousand times
A noisy log hides the one new message that matters. By the time you scroll to it, it has happened a thousand times.
04How it works
Point it at your logs. Read them as one.
No agents to roll out, no pipeline to build, no account. Open a folder and you are reading.
- 1Open where the logs are
A folder like storage/logs, a server like web-1:/var/log/nginx, a Compose project, a Kubernetes namespace or a CloudWatch group. Mix them in one view.
- 2Read them as one
Strata detects each format, merges every file and rotation into one stream by time, and follows new lines as they are written.
- 3Find it, then understand it
Search fields and levels, group the noise into patterns, open the stack trace at your own code and follow the request across every service.
What Strata does
From "something is wrong" to the line that broke.
These screenshots are Strata reading sample logs from a small shop: Laravel, Nginx, a JSON API and a Celery worker.
One stream
Every log, merged by time.
Laravel, Nginx, a JSON API and a Python worker in one table, in the order things happened, each with its own color. Severity is colored the same way in every language, so an error looks like an error whether it came from PHP or Go.
- 33 formats detected on their own: JSON lines, logfmt, Nginx, Apache, Laravel, Rails, Django, Spring, .NET, Go, Rust, syslog, journald, Docker and more
- Rotations joined into one stream, .gz and .zst included; renames and truncation followed without losing a line
- Live tail that stops moving when you scroll up, with a count of what arrived
- A timeline you drag across to zoom, with error spikes marked
- Teach Strata your own format from a sample line, or add a WebAssembly plugin
Servers and containers
Production, staging and your laptop. Same window.
Strata reads servers with the ssh you already use: your keys, your config, your jump hosts. Nothing is installed on the server. Name your environments once in a file you commit, and your team opens production the same way you do.
- Docker and Compose, Kubernetes pods, systemd journals and the Windows Event Log
- CloudWatch, Google Cloud Logging, Azure Monitor, Grafana Loki and Elasticsearch, through the CLIs you already signed in with
- Searches run on the server, inside compressed rotations too; only matching lines cross the network
- Root-only logs with sudo -n when you allow it; never a password prompt
- An optional agent for whole-file search and patterns on the server: one static binary, started over SSH, no open ports
Patterns
Two million lines say a few dozen things.
Press P and Strata groups records by what they say, with the values replaced by gaps: "GET /api/cart/* → *" instead of fifty thousand lines. Each pattern shows its count, its trend and its level. Mark what is new since your last deploy and the regression stands out.
- Two million records grouped in about a second
- One click shows a pattern's records, another hides them
- New since a time you pick: an hour ago, yesterday, or the deploy
- On servers with the agent, whole files and old rotations are grouped where they live
Stack traces and requests
Your code first. Then the whole request.
Exceptions from PHP, Java, Python, JavaScript, Go, .NET, Ruby, Rust and Elixir are laid out with your own frames first and framework frames folded away. Click a frame to open that line in your editor. When a record carries a request or trace id, one click shows every record that mentions it, in every service.
- Caused-by chains as separate sections
- Opens VS Code, Cursor, JetBrains IDEs, Sublime Text and Zed at the right line, with server paths mapped to your checkout
- Follows request_id, traceId, X-Request-ID and correlation ids across sources and hosts
- Copy a record as JSON, as text, or as Markdown for an issue
Explain, if you want it
Ask what went wrong, and see what you send.
Explain is off until you turn it on. It sends the record, its stack trace and the records around it to Claude with your own Anthropic key, and answers with what happened, the likely cause and how to fix it. You see the exact text before anything leaves your computer.
- Emails, IP addresses, passwords, tokens and keys are hidden before sending
- Records from production need a second yes
- Your key stays in your system's keychain; Strata has no server in between
In your terminal
The same engine, as a command.
strata gives the answers the app does: the same formats, the same query language and the same servers and environments. Use it over SSH, in scripts, or when a window is too much.
- strata tail: The newest records of every log under a path, merged by time; -f follows new lines.
- strata search: The full query language, on folders, servers and environments, with JSON, CSV and Markdown output.
- strata patterns: What your logs say, grouped, with what is new since a time you choose.
- Fits in scripts: Exit code 0 when something matched, 1 when nothing did, 2 on an error.
# Errors about payments on every production server, old rotations included
$ strata search 'level:error payment' @production --everywhere
2026-11-08 09:00:00.000 ERR web-1:/var/www/app/storage/logs/laravel.log.1.gz:211 Payment declined for order 17
2026-11-09 12:03:01.000 ERR web-2:/var/www/app/storage/logs/laravel.log:4812 Payment declined for order 4237
# What started happening in the last hour
$ strata patterns @production --new-since 1h --only-new
37 ERR SQLSTATE[*] [*] Connection refused NEW web-2:laravel.log
# Follow a Compose app and a folder together
$ strata tail -f docker:shop storage/logsEverything else you'd expect
Done properly.
-
01
A query language for every format
Words, "phrases", level:>=warn, status:5xx, ms:>500, user.id:42, since:15m, /regex/ and -negation, the same in the app and the CLI.
-
02
Saved searches with alerts
Save a search for yourself or commit it for your team. Ring the bell and you are told when new records match.
-
03
Snapshots for bug reports
One .strata file with the records on screen, their formats and your search. Whoever opens it sees what you saw.
-
04
Export
The records in view as JSON lines, CSV, Markdown or the original lines.
-
05
Big logs, small memory
A 5 GB folder shows its first rows in a third of a second; older lines join in the background.
-
06
Production you can't miss
A colored bar on every view and the environment in the window title, with an optional confirm before opening it.
-
07
Everything from the keyboard
A command palette (Ctrl+K) and shortcuts for search, levels, follow, next error and patterns.
-
08
Light & dark
Themes that follow your system, with level colors tuned for both.
Private by design
Your logs stay where they are.
- On your computerYour logs are read and searched on your machine. No account, no cloud, no telemetry.
- Read-only on serversStrata never writes on a server. Installing the optional agent is the one exception, and only when you run it.
- No stored passwordsServers use your own ssh and keys; cloud sources use the CLIs you already signed in with.
- AI only when you turn it onExplain is off by default, shows exactly what would be sent and hides secrets first.
Strata vs ssh, tail and grep
Everything you do by hand, done for you.
Keep your terminal for quick looks. Use Strata when the answer is spread across servers.
| Capability | ssh, tail & grep | Strata |
|---|---|---|
| Several servers at once | One terminal each | One stream, merged by time |
| Rotated and .gz files | Remember to zgrep them | Joined and searched like the rest |
| Formats | Whatever grep matches | 33 detected, with fields and levels |
| Stack traces | Lines of text | Your frames first, open in your editor |
| Noisy logs | Scroll and hope | Grouped into patterns, new ones marked |
| Production safety | Careful typing | Read-only, with the environment always shown |
| Containers and clouds | docker, kubectl, aws, each its own way | One way to open them all |
| Price | Free | Free |
Get Strata 0.1.0 · Free
Read your first logs in a minute.
Pick the file for your system. We'll email you a one-time code, and the download starts as soon as you enter it.
Windows
Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit
macOS
macOS 11 Big Sur or later
Linux
64-bit (x86_64)
Command line
strata for terminals, scripts and servers
First launch & command line
Windows
If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", choose More info, then Run anyway. On Windows 10, the installer adds Microsoft's WebView2 if it's missing.
macOS
Drag Strata into Applications. The first time, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway. (On macOS 14 and earlier, right-click the app and choose Open.)
Linux
Install the .deb with apt or the .rpm with dnf, like any other package. The AppImage needs no install: make it executable (chmod +x) and run it.
Command line
Unpack the archive and put strata on your PATH. The Linux build is static: it runs on any distribution, and strata agent install copies it to a server.
The first-launch warning appears because Strata is new and not yet widely downloaded; it only shows once. Updating: download the new version from this page and install it over the old one. Your settings and saved searches are kept. Verify your download (optional): each file's SHA-256 checksum is in SHA256SUMS.txt.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Something else? Ideas or partnership enquiries? Email jamal@unravelers.tech.
Is Strata really free?
Yes. Every feature, for as many logs and servers as you like, with no account.
Do I need to install anything on my servers?
No. Strata reads servers over SSH with standard tools like tail, grep and stat, and never writes. The agent is optional: it makes whole-file searches and patterns faster on very large logs, and it is one file you install with strata agent install.
Which log formats does it understand?
Thirty-three out of the box, including JSON lines, logfmt, Nginx, Apache, Caddy, IIS, HAProxy, Traefik, Laravel, Rails, Django and Python logging, log4j and logback, .NET, Go, Rust, Node, Elixir, syslog, journald, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, Docker and Kubernetes. Anything else shows as plain text, and you can teach Strata your own format.
How large can the logs be?
Gigabytes. A 5 GB folder shows its first rows in about a third of a second while older lines are read in the background, and a search over 1 GB takes about a second and a half.
Can it read root-only logs like /var/log/nginx?
Yes, when you allow sudo for that host. Strata uses sudo -n, so it never asks for or stores a password; your server decides what is allowed.
Is it safe to point at production?
Strata only reads. Production is marked by a colored bar and in the window title, and Strata can ask before opening it.
What does Explain send, and where?
Only when you press Send: the record, its stack trace and up to 25 records around it, after emails, addresses and secrets are hidden. It goes straight from your computer to Anthropic with your own key.
How do I get new versions?
Download them from this page and install over the old one. Your settings and saved searches are kept.
Why does Windows or macOS show a warning the first time?
Both systems double-check apps that aren't yet widely downloaded. It only happens on the first launch; the steps are in the download section above.
Which systems are supported?
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), macOS 11 or later on Apple silicon and Intel, and 64-bit Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, openSUSE and others). Servers can be any Linux with a POSIX shell, BusyBox included.
The next time something breaks
Find it in one window, not five terminals.
Strata is free for Windows, macOS and Linux. Open a folder or a server and start reading.