Shopify Server Log Access

How to access server logs from Shopify stores for AI bot analytics and visibility tracking.

About Shopify

Shopify is a complete commerce platform that lets anyone start, grow, manage, and scale a business. As a fully managed SaaS platform, Shopify doesn't provide direct access to raw server logs. However, there are alternative methods to obtain the data needed for bot analytics.

SaaS Platform

Limited Log Access

Enterprise Options Available

Limited Native Access

Standard Shopify plans don't provide access to raw server logs. The methods described below are workarounds that require either Shopify Plus or additional services. Choose the method that best fits your plan and technical requirements.

Overview

Unlike traditional hosting providers, Shopify operates as a fully managed platform where server infrastructure is abstracted away from merchants. This means standard access to server logs is not available. However, there are two primary approaches to obtain the log data needed for bot analytics:

Shopify Plus Log Drains

Enterprise feature for streaming logs to external services like Splunk or Datadog

CDN/Reverse Proxy

Use Cloudflare or Fastly in front of your domain to capture visitor logs

Method 1: Shopify Plus - Log Drains

If you're on Shopify Plus, you can enable log drains to ship logs to external monitoring services. This provides comprehensive visibility into your store's traffic, including bot visits.

Contact Shopify Plus Support

Log drains are not self-service. Contact your Merchant Success Manager or Shopify Plus Support to request log drain configuration.

Log drains are only available for Shopify Plus merchants and require support team activation.

Choose Your Log Destination

Shopify Plus supports sending logs to various third-party services:

Splunk

Enterprise log analysis platform

Datadog

Cloud monitoring service

New Relic

Application performance monitoring

Custom HTTPS Endpoint

Your own log collection service

Configure Log Export

Once enabled by Shopify support, you'll need to:

Provide endpoint credentials to Shopify support
Specify which log types to export (access logs, error logs, etc.)
Configure retention and filtering rules in your destination service
Test the log flow to ensure data is being received

Export Logs for Bot Analytics

From your log aggregation service (Splunk, Datadog, etc.):

Filter logs for the desired time period
Export as CSV or TXT format
Ensure the export includes User-Agent and IP information

Upload to Bot Analytics

Method 2: CDN/Reverse Proxy

For all Shopify plans (including non-Plus), you can use a CDN or reverse proxy service in front of your custom domain to capture visitor logs. This is a popular workaround recommended by the Shopify community for SEO, analytics, and fraud investigations.

This method requires using a custom domain (not the default .myshopify.com domain) and routing traffic through a CDN provider.

Option 1: Cloudflare

Option 2: Fastly

Enterprise CDN with advanced logging capabilities:

Create a Fastly service for your Shopify store
Configure Shopify as the origin
Set up real-time log streaming
Export logs from your configured endpoint

See our Fastly guide for detailed instructions →

CDN Setup Requirements

Custom Domain: You must own and control a custom domain (e.g., yourstore.com, not yourstore.myshopify.com)

DNS Control: Ability to modify DNS records to point to the CDN provider

SSL Certificate: Ensure SSL is properly configured on both Shopify and CDN

Choosing the Right Method

Select the approach based on your Shopify plan and technical requirements:

Use Shopify Plus Log Drains if:

You're on Shopify Plus
You need comprehensive server-side logs
You already use Splunk, Datadog, or New Relic
You want the most accurate bot detection data

Use CDN/Reverse Proxy if:

You're on any Shopify plan (including Basic)
You use a custom domain
You want additional CDN benefits (performance, security)
You're comfortable with DNS configuration

Limitations & Considerations

Shopify Analytics vs Raw Logs

Shopify's built-in analytics filter out bot traffic. Raw logs are essential for AI bot visibility analysis as they include all visitor data.

Checkout Process Limitations

The Shopify checkout process (checkout.shopify.com) bypasses custom domains and CDNs. Bot visits to checkout pages won't be captured via CDN methods.

API and Admin Access

Neither method captures API requests or admin panel access. These require separate monitoring solutions if needed.

Cost Considerations

Log drains (Plus only) may incur costs from third-party services. CDN solutions often have free tiers but may charge for high traffic or log export features.

Next Steps

After obtaining your Shopify logs through either method:

Monitor AI bot visits to your product pages and content
Identify which products attract the most AI crawler attention
Optimize your store's content for AI-powered shopping assistants
Track the impact of SEO improvements on AI visibility

Back to Bot Analytics Overview Cloudflare Setup Guide