lastlog – Displays the last login information of all users in the system

The lastlog command is a Linux utility that displays the last login information of all users in the system. It reads the /var/log/lastlog file and displays the information in a human-readable format. This command is useful for system administrators who want to keep track of user activity on a system.

Overview

To use the lastlog command, simply enter lastlog in the terminal. This will display the last login information for all users on the system. The output includes the username, the port or device name used for the login, the date and time of the last login, and the location of the login.

Here is an example output of the lastlog command:

Username         Port     From             Latest
root                                       **Never logged in**
daemon                                     **Never logged in**
bin                                        **Never logged in**
sys                                        **Never logged in**
sync                                       **Never logged in**
games                                      **Never logged in**
man                                        **Never logged in**
lp                                         **Never logged in**
mail                                       **Never logged in**
news                                       **Never logged in**
uucp                                       **Never logged in**
proxy                                      **Never logged in**
www-data                                   **Never logged in**
backup                                     **Never logged in**
list                                       **Never logged in**
irc                                        **Never logged in**
gnats                                      **Never logged in**
nobody                                     **Never logged in**
systemd-timesync                           **Never logged in**
systemd-network                            **Never logged in**
systemd-resolve                            **Never logged in**
systemd-bus-proxy                          **Never logged in**
_apt                                       **Never logged in**

Options

The lastlog command has the following options:

Troubleshooting tips

If the lastlog command does not display any information, it may be because the /var/log/lastlog file does not exist. This file is created by the logrotate utility, which rotates log files on a system. If the logrotate utility is not configured to rotate the lastlog file, it may not exist.

To troubleshoot this issue, check the /etc/logrotate.conf file and ensure that the lastlog file is included in the list of log files to be rotated. If it is not, add it to the list and run the logrotate command manually to create the file.

Notes

• The lastlog command requires root privileges to run.
• The lastlog command only displays information for users who have logged in at least once.
• The lastlog command displays information in reverse chronological order, with the most recent login at the top of the list.