Enable the general query log using SET GLOBAL general_log = 'ON' or configure it in my.cnf with general_log = 1 and specify general_log_file for the log path. 2. Verify logging status using SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'general_log' and SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'general_log_file'. 3. Set log_output to 'FILE' for file-based logging or 'TABLE' to store logs in mysql.general_log, checking current setting with SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'log_output'. 4. Monitor performance and security: disable long-term use in production, protect sensitive data in logs, and use logrotate for file management with a postrotate script to flush logs. 5. Consider using the slow query log instead for performance tuning with minimal overhead by enabling slow_query_log and setting long_query_time. The general query log should be used temporarily and disabled when no longer needed.
To log all queries running on a MySQL server, you can enable the general query log. This log captures every SQL statement received by the server, including connections, disconnections, and all queries executed. Here's how to set it up properly.

1. Enable the General Query Log
The general query log is disabled by default. You can enable it dynamically (without restarting MySQL) using SQL commands:
SET GLOBAL general_log = 'ON';
To specify a log file (optional, if you want to control the location):

SET GLOBAL general_log_file = '/var/log/mysql/mysql-general.log';
?? Note: The path must be writable by the MySQL process, and the directory should exist.
Alternatively, you can enable it permanently via the MySQL configuration file (my.cnf
or my.ini
on Windows):

[mysqld] general_log = 1 general_log_file = /var/log/mysql/mysql-general.log
After editing the config file, restart MySQL:
sudo systemctl restart mysql
2. Check Current Logging Status
To verify if the general log is enabled:
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'general_log';
To see where the log is being written:
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'general_log_file';
You can also check the log output destination with:
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'log_output';
3. Understand Log Output Destination (log_output
)
MySQL can write logs to files or to database tables (like mysql.general_log
). Check the current setting:
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'log_output';
- If it's
FILE
, logs go to the file specified bygeneral_log_file
. - If it's
TABLE
, logs are stored in themysql.general_log
table. - It can also be
NONE
, which disables logging.
To change output to file (recommended for performance):
SET GLOBAL log_output = 'FILE';
Or to use table (useful for querying logs via SQL):
SET GLOBAL log_output = 'TABLE';
Then you can inspect logs with:
SELECT * FROM mysql.general_log ORDER BY event_time DESC LIMIT 100;
?? Warning: Using the table output can impact performance under high load.
4. Performance and Security Considerations
- Performance: The general log can generate a lot of data quickly. It's not recommended to keep it enabled on production systems long-term.
- Security: Logs may contain sensitive data (passwords in queries, user data). Ensure proper file permissions and consider log rotation.
- Rotation: Use
logrotate
on Linux to manage log file size.
Example logrotate
config (/etc/logrotate.d/mysql-general
):
/var/log/mysql/mysql-general.log { daily missingok rotate 7 compress delaycompress notifempty create 640 mysql mysql sharedscripts postrotate test -x /usr/bin/mysqladmin || exit 0 MYADMIN="/usr/bin/mysqladmin --defaults-file=/etc/mysql/debian.cnf" if [ -f /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid ]; then $MYADMIN flush-logs fi endscript }
After rotation, you may need to flush logs:
FLUSH LOGS;
5. Alternative: Slow Query Log (for performance tuning)
If you're only interested in slow or inefficient queries, use the slow query log instead:
[mysqld] slow_query_log = 1 slow_query_log_file = /var/log/mysql/mysql-slow.log long_query_time = 1 log_queries_not_using_indexes = 0
This has much less overhead and is more suitable for production monitoring.
In short: use general_log = ON
with log_output = FILE
for full query logging, but be cautious about performance and data sensitivity. Turn it off when not needed.
Basically, it's simple to enable — but not something you want to leave on forever.
The above is the detailed content of How to log all queries running on a MySQL server?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!

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