Using Lnav with Zscaler: Accessing and Viewing Protected Logs

The command line waits, cursor blinking, while packets rush across the network you cannot see. You type lnav, and a wall of logs forms in front of you, clean, colored, and searchable. But the data you need lives behind Zscaler, filtered and encrypted, and the clock is running.

Lnav is a powerful, terminal-based log viewer. It reads from local files, streams from stdin, and indexes everything for instant search. With SQL queries built in, you can sort, filter, and pivot data without leaving your shell. When systems span hybrid clouds and private networks, Lnav gives you speed and context on demand.

Zscaler acts as a secure gateway, inspecting and controlling network traffic. For engineers who need to work with logs from systems and services routed through the Zscaler cloud, a gap appears: how do you feed Lnav with relevant log data that lives beyond your immediate network reach?

The solution begins with authenticated, authorized access to the sources behind Zscaler. This often means configuring your client or agent to resolve endpoints through Zscaler’s tunnels while still outputting raw logs to a local store or stream. Scripts or lightweight collectors can tail these sources, push them through STDOUT, and pipe them directly into Lnav:

my_log_collector | lnav

When direct streaming is impossible, pull the logs first. Use scp or an API client configured for Zscaler’s proxy settings, then point Lnav at the retrieved files. For teams managing microservices across many Zscaler-protected networks, automation matters. Integrate fetch jobs into CI/CD, then parse with Lnav in build pipelines or post-deployment diagnostics.

Keep Zscaler’s inspection policies in mind. Certain compressed formats, encrypted payloads, or custom ports may require explicit allow rules or profile adjustments. Coordinate with security to whitelist the log sources and transfer methods you control. This ensures Lnav receives complete, untampered data for accurate analysis.

Combining Lnav with Zscaler properly lets you view logs from protected environments with speed and flexibility. It lets you cut through noisy timelines, trace failures, and connect dots across systems without breaking compliance.

Want to see this kind of integration running without the setup pain? Try it live with Hoop.dev and watch your logs stream in minutes.