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bensadeh/tailspin

A Rust command-line log file highlighter (binary tspin) that colorizes dates, numbers, IPs, UUIDs, URLs and keywords in any log format.

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What is it?

tailspin is a command-line tool for viewing log files with syntax highlighting. It scans each line with a set of pattern matchers that recognize common elements such as dates, numbers, IPv4 addresses, UUIDs, URLs, file paths, HTTP methods and severity keywords, without requiring any format-specific configuration.

It can open a file in the less pager, follow a file like tail -f, read from pipes such as journalctl or kubectl logs, or run a command and display its output. Highlight groups can be toggled with flags, and styles can be customized through a theme.toml file, which also supports user-defined keywords and regular expressions.

The installed binary is named tspin. It is available through Homebrew, Cargo, several Linux distribution repositories, Nix, and Scoop for Windows.

Key features

  • 01Highlights dates, numbers, IP addresses, UUIDs, URLs, paths and more in any log format
  • 02Works without setup or configuration
  • 03Follow mode for live log output like tail -f
  • 04Pipes cleanly with commands such as kubectl logs and journalctl
  • 05Highlight groups and colors are customizable through theme.toml
  • 06Custom keywords and regex highlighters via flags or config

Use cases

  • Reading application logs in a terminal with easier-to-scan highlighting
  • Following live Kubernetes pod logs with colored output
  • Highlighting syslog or journalctl output piped from a server
  • Quickly spotting error keywords in unfamiliar log formats

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install via Cargo

    cargo install tailspin
  2. 2

    Highlight a log file

    tspin application.log

Topics

#logs#command-line#terminal#syntax-highlighting#rust#log-viewer#devops#ccze#colorizer#colors

FAQ

What is tailspin?
A Rust command-line log file highlighter (binary tspin) that colorizes dates, numbers, IPs, UUIDs, URLs and keywords in any log format. tailspin is a command-line tool for viewing log files with syntax highlighting. It scans each line with a set of pattern matchers that recognize common elements such as dates, numbers, IPv4 addresses, UUIDs, URLs, file paths, HTTP methods and severity keywords, without requiring any format-specific configuration.
Is tailspin free to use? What license does it have?
tailspin is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is tailspin still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to tailspin was on Oct 19, 2026.
What can I use tailspin for?
Reading application logs in a terminal with easier-to-scan highlighting Following live Kubernetes pod logs with colored output Highlighting syslog or journalctl output piped from a server Quickly spotting error keywords in unfamiliar log formats
How do I install tailspin?
Install via Cargo: cargo install tailspin Highlight a log file: tspin application.log
Where can I get tailspin?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/bensadeh/tailspin

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