LightSquid is a lightweight, fast, and flexible web-based reporting tool for Squid proxy server logs. It parses Squid’s access logs and generates daily, user-specific graphical reports accessible through a browser.
Unlike heavy log analysis tools, LightSquid is written in Perl and designed to run efficiently on modest systems — perfect for environments where squid proxy is used and minimal overhead is desired.
RHEL 6’s default repositories do not contain the latest versions of many third-party tools. Manually compiling LightSquid ensures compatibility, latest bug fixes, and tailored control over dependencies.
Before you begin, ensure your system has the following:
- Squid proxy installed and configured
- Web server (Apache HTTPD) installed and running
- Perl installed
- Access to root or sudo privileges
Installation of LightSquid on RHEL 6
yum install httpd perl perl-CGI perl-Time-HiRes perl-libwww-perl -y
yum install wget unzip
cd /usr/local/src
wget http://www.lightsquid.org/download/lightsquid-1.8.tar.gz
tar -xvzf lightsquid-1.8.tar.gz
mv lightsquid-1.8 /usr/local/lightsquid
Create an alias in Apache for LightSquid
vim /etc/httpd/conf.d/lightsquid.conf
Paste the following
Alias /lightsquid /usr/local/lightsquid
<Directory /usr/local/lightsquid>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride None
Require all granted
</Directory>
chmod +x /usr/local/lightsquid/lightparser.pl
chown -R apache:apache /usr/local/lightsquid
Edit LightSquid’s config file
vim /usr/local/lightsquid/lightparser.cfg
Key values to update
logpath /var/log/squid/access.log # Adjust if your Squid logs are in a different location
lang en
template base
cd /usr/local/lightsquid
./lightparser.pl
Check /usr/local/lightsquid/report/ — it should contain generated HTML reports.
service httpd restart
Now open your browser and visit
http://<your_server_ip>/lightsquid/
You should see a user-friendly web interface showing daily bandwidth usage and access logs per user/IP.
With LightSquid set up on your RHEL 6 server, you now have a powerful, efficient way to monitor and visualize Squid proxy usage. It’s especially useful for small businesses, schools, and enterprises needing transparent bandwidth tracking.