---
title: Log file rotation
description: The file-based audit event handlers let you rotate audit log files, either automatically, based on a set of criteria, or by using a REST call.
component: pingidm
version: 8.1
page_id: pingidm:audit-guide:audit-log-rotation
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingidm/8.1/audit-guide/audit-log-rotation.html
keywords: ["Audit", "Logs", "Configuration", "Rotation"]
---

# Log file rotation

The file-based audit event handlers let you rotate audit log files, either automatically, based on a set of criteria, or by using a REST call.

To configure automatic log file rotation, set the following properties in your project's `audit.json` file:

```none
{
    "class" : "org.forgerock.audit.handlers.json.JsonAuditEventHandler",
    "config" : {
        "fileRotation" : {
            "rotationEnabled" : true,
            "maxFileSize" : 0,
            "rotationFilePrefix" : "",
            "rotationTimes" : [ ],
            "rotationFileSuffix" : "",
            "rotationInterval" : ""
        },
```

The file rotation properties are described in [JSON Audit Event Handler Properties](event-handler-config.html#audit-config-prop-json).

If you have enabled file rotation (`"rotationEnabled" : true`), you can rotate the JSON log files manually for a specific audit event topic, over REST. The following command saves the current access log file with a date and time stamp, then starts logging to a new file with the same base name.

```
curl \
--header "X-OpenIDM-Username: openidm-admin" \
--header "X-OpenIDM-Password: openidm-admin" \
--header "Accept-API-Version: resource=1.0" \
--request POST \
"http://localhost:8080/openidm/audit/access?handler=json&_action=rotate"
{
  "status": "OK"
}
```

If the command is successful, two `access.audit.json` files display in the `openidm/audit` directory, for example:

```
access.audit.json			access.audit.json-2016.10.12-17.54.41
```

The file with the extension (`2016.10.12-17.54.41`) indicates that audit logging to this file ended on October 12, 2016, at 5:54:41 pm.

To configure log rotation in the admin UI, click Configure > System Preferences > Audit, and edit the JSON audit event handler (or the CSV audit event handler if you are logging to CSV). You can set all the log rotation properties on this screen.