Here’s a comprehensive and updated tutorial on which files should be cleaned up regularly in a production environment running XAMPP (under /opt/lampp), what each file/folder is, and how to automate cleanup safely.

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XAMPP Production File Cleanup Guide

Keeping Your /opt/lampp Environment Healthy

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1. Why Regular Cleanup Is Important

• Performance: Old logs and cache files fill up disk space and slow down the system.
• Security: Sensitive info in old logs can be a risk if not managed.
• Reliability: Overfilled disk can cause XAMPP/MySQL/Apache to crash or refuse new data.

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2. Key Locations in /opt/lampp to Clean

The typical XAMPP folder structure on Linux (like /opt/lampp) includes:

• /opt/lampp/logs/ — Apache and XAMPP logs
• /opt/lampp/apache/logs/ — Apache server logs
• /opt/lampp/mysql/data/ or /opt/lampp/var/mysql/ — MySQL data and logs
• /opt/lampp/php/logs/ — PHP logs
• /opt/lampp/temp/ or /opt/lampp/tmp/ — Temporary files
• /opt/lampp/htdocs/ — Website files (may have user/app caches, uploads, sessions)
• Any storage/ directories for frameworks like Laravel

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3. What Files Should Be Cleaned Regularly?

Below are the files and folders to clean, with what they do and how to handle them safely:

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A. Apache Log Files

• Location: /opt/lampp/logs/ and /opt/lampp/apache/logs/
• Files:
  • access.log
  • error.log
  • Any rotated log files (e.g., error.log.1, access.log.1, .gz, etc.)
• Why: These logs can get huge, fast.
• How:
  • Delete old rotated/compressed logs (e.g., *.gz, .1 files)
  • Truncate main logs regularly (to avoid interrupting Apache): > /opt/lampp/logs/access.log > /opt/lampp/logs/error.log

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B. PHP Error Logs

• Location: /opt/lampp/php/logs/
• Files:
  • php_error_log
• Why: Captures PHP warnings/errors, can grow large.
• How:
  • Truncate periodically: > /opt/lampp/php/logs/php_error_log

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C. MySQL Log and Error Files

• Location: /opt/lampp/var/mysql/ or /opt/lampp/mysql/data/
• Files:
  • hostname.err (e.g., ip-172-31-34-212.err)
  • mysql-bin.* (binary logs, if enabled)
  • Slow query logs (mysql-slow.log, if enabled)
  • Old rotated logs (*.old, *.BAK, etc.)
• Why: Large logs waste space; old binlogs aren’t needed after backup/replication.
• How:
  • Truncate the error log (never delete while MySQL is running): > /opt/lampp/var/mysql/ip-172-31-34-212.err
  • Remove old binlogs (only if not needed for recovery/replication): rm /opt/lampp/var/mysql/mysql-bin.00000*
  NEVER delete ibdata1, ib_logfile*, aria_log*, or any database folders/files here.

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D. Temporary Files

• Location: /opt/lampp/temp/, /opt/lampp/tmp/, and project storage/framework/cache, storage/framework/sessions, etc.
• Files:
  • Upload temp files, session files, cache
• Why: Safe to delete files not recently accessed (stale session, cache, failed uploads).
• How:
  • Example to remove files older than 2 days: find /opt/lampp/temp/ -type f -mtime +2 -delete find /opt/lampp/tmp/ -type f -mtime +2 -delete

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E. Application/Framework Cache & Session Files

• Laravel example:
  /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/sessions/
/opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/cache/
/opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/views/
• Why: Sessions, cache, and compiled views are safe to clear out if old.
• How: find /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/sessions/ -type f -mtime +1 -delete find /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/cache/ -type f -mtime +1 -delete find /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/views/ -type f -mtime +1 -delete

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F. Old Backup Files

• Location: Wherever you store old .sql, .tar, .gz, etc. (often /backups/ or /opt/lampp/htdocs/backups/)
• Why: Don’t keep too many old backups.
• How: find /opt/lampp/htdocs/backups/ -type f -mtime +7 -delete (Deletes backup files older than 7 days.)

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4. What Should You NEVER Delete?

• Database data files (ibdata1, ib_logfile0, etc. in var/mysql/)
• Anything inside database directories (unless you want to drop/delete a database)
• Application files, user uploads, etc. (unless verified as junk)
• XAMPP config files

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5. Automating Cleanup With a Cron Job

Here’s a sample script you could run daily or weekly via cron:

#!/bin/bash

# Clean Apache logs (keep last 7 days)
find /opt/lampp/logs/ -type f -name "*.gz" -mtime +7 -delete
find /opt/lampp/apache/logs/ -type f -name "*.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

# Truncate current log files
> /opt/lampp/logs/access.log
> /opt/lampp/logs/error.log
> /opt/lampp/php/logs/php_error_log

# Truncate MySQL error log
> /opt/lampp/var/mysql/ip-172-31-34-212.err

# Clean temp files older than 2 days
find /opt/lampp/tmp/ -type f -mtime +2 -delete
find /opt/lampp/temp/ -type f -mtime +2 -delete

# Clean Laravel/Framework session & cache files older than 1 day
find /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/sessions/ -type f -mtime +1 -delete
find /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/cache/ -type f -mtime +1 -delete
find /opt/lampp/htdocs/your_project/storage/framework/views/ -type f -mtime +1 -delete

# Clean old backup files (older than 7 days)
find /opt/lampp/htdocs/backups/ -type f -mtime +7 -delete
Code language: PHP (php)

• Save this as cleanup_xampp.sh
• Make it executable:
  chmod +x cleanup_xampp.sh
• Add to crontab for daily execution (example at 2:30am): 30 2 * * * /path/to/cleanup_xampp.sh

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6. Monitoring Disk Usage

• Regularly check usage: du -sh /opt/lampp/*
• Be proactive; if logs grow rapidly, increase cleanup frequency or log rotation.

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7. Security and Best Practices

• Always review before deleting—automate with care.
• Take regular full backups before aggressive cleaning, especially before touching anything in var/mysql/.
• Set up logrotate for Apache, PHP, and MySQL logs for better management.
• Document your cleanup routines for the team.

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Summary Table

Location	What to Clean	Command Example	Notes
/opt/lampp/logs/	Apache logs	> access.log	Rotate/truncate; don’t delete active logs
/opt/lampp/php/logs/	PHP logs	> php_error_log
/opt/lampp/var/mysql/	MySQL error logs	> hostname.err	Never delete core DB files
/opt/lampp/tmp/ /opt/lampp/temp/	Temp files	find ... -mtime +2 -delete	Only old files
/opt/lampp/htdocs/project/storage/	Sessions, cache	find ... -mtime +1 -delete	Framework-specific
/opt/lampp/htdocs/backups/	Old backups	find ... -mtime +7 -delete	Optional

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Conclusion

Regular cleanup of log, temp, and cache files under /opt/lampp keeps your production XAMPP environment healthy, secure, and reliable.
Never delete database or config files, always backup before cleaning, and automate your routines for peace of mind!

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