# General Query Log
The general query log is a log of every SQL query received from a client, as well as each client connect and disconnect. Since it's a record of every query received by the server, it can grow large quite quickly.
However, if you only want a record of queries that change data, it might be better to use the [binary log](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/binary-log.md) instead. One important difference is that the [binary log](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/binary-log.md) only logs a query when the transaction is committed by the server, but the general query log logs a query immediately when it is received by the server.
## Enabling the General Query Log
The general query log is disabled by default.
To enable the general query log, set the [general\_log](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#general_log) system variable to `1`. It can be changed dynamically with [SET GLOBAL](/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/administrative-sql-statements/set-commands/set.md#global-session). For example:
```
SET GLOBAL general_log=1;
```
It can also be set in a server [option group](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md#option-groups) in an [option file](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md) prior to starting up the server. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
general_log
```
## Configuring the General Query Log Filename
By default, the general query log is written to `${hostname}.log` in the [datadir](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#datadir) directory. However, this can be changed.
One way to configure the general query log filename is to set the [general\_log\_file](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#general_log_file) system variable. It can be changed dynamically with [SET GLOBAL](/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/administrative-sql-statements/set-commands/set.md#global-session). For example:
```
SET GLOBAL general_log_file='mariadb.log';
```
It can also be set in a server [option group](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md#option-groups) in an [option file](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md) prior to starting up the server. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
general_log
general_log_file=mariadb.log
```
If it is a relative path, then the [general\_log\_file](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#general_log_file) is relative to the [datadir](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#datadir) directory.
However, the [general\_log\_file](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#general_log_file) system variable can also be an absolute path. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
general_log
general_log_file=/var/log/mysql/mariadb.log
```
Another way to configure the general query log filename is to set the [log-basename](/docs/server/server-management/starting-and-stopping-mariadb/mariadbd-options.md#log-basename) option, which configures MariaDB to use a common prefix for all log files (e.g. general query log, [slow query log](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/slow-query-log.md), [error log](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/error-log.md), [binary logs](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/binary-log.md), etc.). The general query log filename will be built by adding a `.log` extension to this prefix. This option cannot be set dynamically. It can be set in a server [option group](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md#option-groups) in an [option file](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md) prior to starting up the server. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
log-basename=mariadb
general_log
```
The [log-basename](/docs/server/server-management/starting-and-stopping-mariadb/mariadbd-options.md#log-basename) cannot be an absolute path. The log file name is relative to the [datadir](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#datadir) directory.
## Choosing the General Query Log Output Destination
The general query log can either be written to a file on disk, or it can be written to the [general\_log](/docs/server/reference/system-tables/the-mysql-database-tables/mysqlgeneral_log-table.md) table in the [mysql](/docs/server/reference/system-tables/the-mysql-database-tables.md) database. To choose the general query log output destination, set the [log\_output](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#log_output) system variable.
### Writing the General Query Log to a File
The general query log is output to a file by default. However, it can be explicitly chosen by setting the [log\_output](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#log_output) system variable to `FILE`. It can be changed dynamically with [SET GLOBAL](/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/administrative-sql-statements/set-commands/set.md#global-session). For example:
```
SET GLOBAL log_output='FILE';
```
It can also be set in a server [option group](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md#option-groups) in an [option file](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md) prior to starting up the server. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
log_output=FILE
general_log
general_log_file=queries.log
```
### Writing the General Query Log to a Table
The general query log can either be written to the [general\_log](/docs/server/reference/system-tables/the-mysql-database-tables/mysqlgeneral_log-table.md) table in the [mysql](/docs/server/reference/system-tables/the-mysql-database-tables.md) database by setting the [log\_output](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#log_output) system variable to `TABLE`. It can be changed dynamically with [SET GLOBAL](/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/administrative-sql-statements/set-commands/set.md#global-session). For example:
```
SET GLOBAL log_output='TABLE';
```
It can also be set in a server [option group](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md#option-groups) in an [option file](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md) prior to starting up the server. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
log_output=TABLE
general_log
```
Some rows in this table might look like this:
```
SELECT * FROM mysql.general_log\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
event_time: 2014-11-11 08:40:04.117177
user_host: root[root] @ localhost []
thread_id: 74
server_id: 1
command_type: Query
argument: SELECT * FROM test.s
*************************** 2. row ***************************
event_time: 2014-11-11 08:40:10.501131
user_host: root[root] @ localhost []
thread_id: 74
server_id: 1
command_type: Query
argument: SELECT * FROM mysql.general_log
...
```
See [Writing logs into tables](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/writing-logs-into-tables.md) for more information.
#### Formal Specification (File Format)
When the General Query Log is written to a file, it follows a positional format. For tool developers (e.g., Fluentd, Logstash), it is important to treat this log as a continuous stream of events that can contain multi-line data.
**Template:** `Timestamp ThreadID Command Argument`
| Field | Component | Data Type | Description |
| ----- | --------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **1** | Timestamp | `DateTime` | The time the query was received. Format varies by version (e.g., `yymmdd h:mm:ss` or ISO 8601). |
| **2** | Thread ID | `Unsigned Integer` | The standardized connection identifier. This matches the `Thread ID` field in the Error Log and Slow Query Log. |
| **3** | Command | `String` | The command type (e.g., `Connect`, `Query`, `Quit`, `Prepare`). |
| **4** | Argument | `String` | The raw SQL statement or command details. |
**Parsing Considerations for Tool Developers**
* **Multi-line SQL:** The `Argument` field contains the literal SQL query received by the server. Because SQL queries often contain newlines, a single log entry can span multiple lines. Parsers must be configured to handle multiline events, typically by identifying a new record when a line begins with a valid timestamp.
* **Standardized Identification:** While the log file header may label the second column as `Id`, it is functionally identical to the `thread_id` found in system tables (e.g., `mysql.general_log`) and the `Thread ID` in other server logs.
* **Immediate Logging:** Unlike the Binary Log, which logs at commit time, the General Query Log records queries immediately upon receipt.
## Disabling the General Query Log for a Session
A user with the [SUPER](/docs/server/reference/sql-statements/account-management-sql-statements/grant.md#global-privileges) privilege can disable logging to the general query log for a connection by setting the [SQL\_LOG\_OFF](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#sql_log_off) system variable to `1`. For example:
```
SET SESSION SQL_LOG_OFF=1;
```
## Disabling the General Query Log for Specific Statements
In [MariaDB 10.3.1](/docs/release-notes/community-server/old-releases/10.3/10.3.1.md) and later, it is possible to disable logging to the general query log for specific types of statements by setting the [log\_disabled\_statements](/docs/server/server-management/variables-and-modes/server-system-variables.md#log_disabled_statements) system variable. This option cannot be set dynamically. It can be set in a server [option group](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md#option-groups) in an [option file](/docs/server/server-management/install-and-upgrade-mariadb/configuring-mariadb/configuring-mariadb-with-option-files.md) prior to starting up the server. For example:
```
[mariadb]
...
log_output=FILE
general_log
general_log_file=queries.log
log_disabled_statements='slave,sp'
```
## Rotating the General Query Log on Unix and Linux
Unix and Linux distributions offer the [logrotate](https://linux.die.net/man/8/logrotate) utility, which makes it very easy to rotate log files. See [Rotating Logs on Unix and Linux](/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/rotating-logs-on-unix-and-linux.md) for more information on how to use this utility to rotate the general query log.
## See Also
* [MariaDB audit plugin](/docs/server/reference/plugins/mariadb-audit-plugin.md)
*This page is licensed: CC BY-SA / Gnu FDL*
{% @marketo/form formId="4316" %}
---
# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://mariadb.com/docs/server/server-management/server-monitoring-logs/general-query-log.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.