Parameters that affect logging Turning on query logging Publishing PostgreSQL logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs

RDS for PostgreSQL database log files

RDS for PostgreSQL logs database activities to the default PostgreSQL log file. For an on-premises PostgreSQL DB instance, these messages are stored locally in log/postgresql.log. For an RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance, the log file is available on the Amazon RDS instance. Also, you must use the Amazon RDS Console to view or download its contents. The default logging level captures login failures, fatal server errors, deadlocks, and query failures.

For more information about how you can view, download, and watch file-based database logs, see Monitoring Amazon RDS log files. To learn more about PostgreSQL logs, see Working with Amazon RDS and Aurora PostgreSQL logs: Part 1 and Working with Amazon RDS and Aurora PostgreSQL logs: Part 2.

In addition to the standard PostgreSQL logs discussed in this topic, RDS for PostgreSQL also supports the PostgreSQL Audit extension (pgAudit). Most regulated industries and government agencies need to maintain an audit log or audit trail of changes made to data to comply with legal requirements. For information about installing and using pgAudit, see Using pgAudit to log database activity.

Topics

Parameters that affect logging behavior
Turning on query logging for your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance
Publishing PostgreSQL logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs

Parameters that affect logging behavior

You can customize the logging behavior for your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance by modifying various parameters. In the following table you can find the parameters that affect how long the logs are stored, when to rotate the log, and whether to output the log as a CSV (comma-separated value) format. You can also find the text output sent to STDERR, among other settings. To change settings for the parameters that are modifiable, use a custom DB parameter group for your RDS for PostgreSQL instance. For more information, see Working with DB parameter groups. As noted in the table, the log_line_prefix can't be changed.

Parameter	Default	Description
log_destination	stderr	Sets the output format for the log. The default is `stderr` but you can also specify comma-separated value (CSV) by adding `csvlog` to the setting. For more information, see Setting the log destination (stderr, csvlog)
log_filename	postgresql.log.%Y-%m-%d-%H	Specifies the pattern for the log file name. In addition to the default, this parameter supports `postgresql.log.%Y-%m-%d` for the filename pattern.
log_line_prefix	%t:%r:%u@%d:[%p]:	Defines the prefix for each log line that gets written to `stderr`, to note the time (%t), remote host (%r), user (%u), database (%d), and process ID (%p). You can't modify this parameter.
log_rotation_age	60	Minutes after which log file is automatically rotated. You can change this value to between 1 and 1440 minutes. For more information, see Setting log file rotation.
log_rotation_size	–	The size (kB) at which the log is automatically rotated. By default, this parameter isn't used because logs are rotated based on the `log_rotation_age` parameter. To learn more, see Setting log file rotation.
rds.log_retention_period	4320	PostgreSQL logs that are older than the specified number of minutes are deleted. The default value of 4320 minutes deletes log files after 3 days. For more information, see Setting the log retention period.

To identify application issues, you can look for query failures, login failures, deadlocks, and fatal server errors in the log. For example, suppose that you converted a legacy application from Oracle to Amazon RDS PostgreSQL, but not all queries converted correctly. These incorrectly formatted queries generate error messages that you can find in the logs to help identify problems. For more information about logging queries, see Turning on query logging for your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance.

In the following topics, you can find information about how to set various parameters that control the basic details for your PostgreSQL logs.

Topics

Setting the log retention period
Setting log file rotation
Setting the log destination (stderr, csvlog)
Understanding the log_line_prefix parameter

Setting the log retention period

The rds.log_retention_period parameter specifies how long your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance keeps its log files. The default setting is 3 days (4,320 minutes), but you can set this value to anywhere from 1 day (1,440 minutes) to 7 days (10,080 minutes). Be sure that your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance has sufficient storage to hold the log files for the period of time.

We recommend that you have your logs routinely published to Amazon CloudWatch Logs so that you can view and analyze system data long after the logs have been removed from your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. For more information, see Publishing PostgreSQL logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs.

Setting log file rotation

Amazon RDS creates new log files every hour by default. The timing is controlled by the log_rotation_age parameter. This parameter has a default value of 60 (minutes), but you can set it to anywhere from 1 minute to 24 hours (1,440 minutes). When it's time for rotation, a new distinct log file is created. The file is named according to the pattern specified by the log_filename parameter.

Log files can also be rotated according to their size, as specified in the log_rotation_size parameter. This parameter specifies that the log should be rotated when it reaches the specified size (in kilobytes). For an RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance, log_rotation_size is unset, that is, there is no value specified. However, you can set the parameter from 0-2097151 kB (kilobytes).

The log file names are based on the file name pattern specified in the log_filename parameter. The available settings for this parameter are as follows:

postgresql.log.%Y-%m-%d – Default format for the log file name. Includes the year, month, and date in the name of the log file.
postgresql.log.%Y-%m-%d-%H – Includes the hour in the log file name format.

For more information, see log_rotation_age and log_rotation_size in the PostgreSQL documentation.

Setting the log destination (`stderr`, `csvlog`)

By default, Amazon RDS PostgreSQL generates logs in standard error (stderr) format. This format is the default setting for the log_destination parameter. Each message is prefixed using the pattern specified in the log_line_prefix parameter. For more information, see Understanding the log_line_prefix parameter.

RDS for PostgreSQL can also generate the logs in csvlog format. The csvlog is useful for analyzing the log data as comma-separated values (CSV) data. For example, suppose that you use the log_fdw extension to work with your logs as foreign tables. The foreign table created on stderr log files contains a single column with log event data. By adding csvlog to the log_destination parameter, you get the log file in the CSV format with demarcations for the multiple columns of the foreign table. You can now sort and analyze your logs more easily. To learn how to use the log_fdw with csvlog, see Using the log_fdw extension to access the DB log using SQL.

If you specify csvlog for this parameter, be aware that both stderr and csvlog files are generated. Be sure to monitor the storage consumed by the logs, taking into account the rds.log_retention_period and other settings that affect log storage and turnover. Using stderr and csvlog more than doubles the storage consumed by the logs.

If you add csvlog to log_destination and you want to revert to the stderr alone, you need to reset the parameter. To do so, open the Amazon RDS Console and then open the custom DB parameter group for your instance. Choose the log_destination parameter, choose Edit parameter, and then choose Reset.

For more information about configuring logging, see Working with Amazon RDS and Aurora PostgreSQL logs: Part 1.

Understanding the log_line_prefix parameter

The stderr log format prefixes each log message with the details specified by the log_line_prefix parameter, as follows.


%t:%r:%u@%d:[%p]:t

You can't change this setting. Each log entry sent to stderr includes the following information.

%t – Time of log entry
%r – Remote host address
%u@%d – User name @ database name
[%p] – Process ID if available

Turning on query logging for your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance

You can collect more detailed information about your database activities, including queries, queries waiting for locks, checkpoints, and many other details by setting some of the parameters listed in the following table. This topic focuses on logging queries.

Parameter	Default	Description
log_connections	–	Logs each successful connection.
log_disconnections	–	Logs the end of each session and its duration.
log_checkpoints	1	Logs each checkpoint.
log_lock_waits	–	Logs long lock waits. By default, this parameter isn't set.
log_min_duration_sample	–	(ms) Sets the minimum execution time above which a sample of statements is logged. Sample size is set using the `log_statement_sample_rate` parameter.
log_min_duration_statement	all	Sets the type of statements logged.
log_statement	–	Sets the type of statements logged. By default, this parameter isn't set, but you can change it to `all`, `ddl`, or `mod` to specify the types of SQL statements that you want logged. If you specify anything other than `none` for this parameter, you should also take additional steps to prevent the exposure of passwords in the log files. For more information, see Mitigating risk of password exposure when using query logging.
log_statement_sample_rate	–	The percentage of statements exceeding the time specified in `log_min_duration_sample` to be logged, expressed as a floating point value between 0.0 and 1.0.
log_statement_stats	–	Writes cumulative performance statistics to the server log.

Using logging to find slow performing queries

You can log SQL statements and queries to help find slow performing queries. You turn on this capability by modifying the settings in the log_statement and log_min_duration parameters as outlined in this section. Before turning on query logging for your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance, you should be aware of possible password exposure in the logs and how to mitigate the risks. For more information, see Mitigating risk of password exposure when using query logging.

Following, you can find reference information about the log_statement and log_min_duration parameters.

log_statement

This parameter specifies the type of SQL statements that should get sent to the log. The default value is none. If you change this parameter to all, ddl, or mod, be sure to apply recommended actions to mitigate the risk of exposing passwords in the logs. For more information, see Mitigating risk of password exposure when using query logging.

all: Logs all statements. This setting is recommended for debugging purposes.
ddl: Logs all data definition language (DDL) statements, such as CREATE, ALTER, DROP, and so on.
mod: Logs all DDL statements and data manipulation language (DML) statements, such as INSERT, UPDATE, and DELETE, which modify the data.
none: No SQL statements get logged. We recommend this setting to avoid the risk of exposing passwords in the logs.

log_min_duration_statement

Any SQL statement that runs longer than the number of milliseconds specified by this parameter setting gets logged. By default, this parameter isn't set. Turning on this parameter can help you find unoptimized queries.

–1–2147483647: The number of milliseconds (ms) of runtime over which a statement gets logged.

To set up query logging

These steps assume that your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance uses a custom DB parameter group.

Set the log_statement parameter to all. The following example shows the information that is written to the postgresql.log file with this parameter setting.


2022-10-05 22:05:52 UTC:52.95.4.1(11335):postgres@labdb:[3639]:LOG: statement: SELECT feedback, s.sentiment,s.confidence
FROM support,aws_comprehend.detect_sentiment(feedback, 'en') s
ORDER BY s.confidence DESC;
2022-10-05 22:05:52 UTC:52.95.4.1(11335):postgres@labdb:[3639]:LOG: QUERY STATISTICS
2022-10-05 22:05:52 UTC:52.95.4.1(11335):postgres@labdb:[3639]:DETAIL: ! system usage stats:
! 0.017355 s user, 0.000000 s system, 0.168593 s elapsed
! [0.025146 s user, 0.000000 s system total]
! 36644 kB max resident size
! 0/8 [0/8] filesystem blocks in/out
! 0/733 [0/1364] page faults/reclaims, 0 [0] swaps
! 0 [0] signals rcvd, 0/0 [0/0] messages rcvd/sent
! 19/0 [27/0] voluntary/involuntary context switches
2022-10-05 22:05:52 UTC:52.95.4.1(11335):postgres@labdb:[3639]:STATEMENT: SELECT feedback, s.sentiment,s.confidence
FROM support,aws_comprehend.detect_sentiment(feedback, 'en') s
ORDER BY s.confidence DESC;
2022-10-05 22:05:56 UTC:52.95.4.1(11335):postgres@labdb:[3639]:ERROR: syntax error at or near "ORDER" at character 1
2022-10-05 22:05:56 UTC:52.95.4.1(11335):postgres@labdb:[3639]:STATEMENT: ORDER BY s.confidence DESC;
----------------------- END OF LOG ----------------------

Set the log_min_duration_statement parameter. The following example shows the information that is written to the postgresql.log file when the parameter is set to 1.

Queries that exceed the duration specified in the log_min_duration_statement parameter are logged. The following shows an example. You can view the log file for your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance in the Amazon RDS Console.


2022-10-05 19:05:19 UTC:52.95.4.1(6461):postgres@labdb:[6144]:LOG: statement: DROP table comments;
2022-10-05 19:05:19 UTC:52.95.4.1(6461):postgres@labdb:[6144]:LOG: duration: 167.754 ms
2022-10-05 19:08:07 UTC::@:[355]:LOG: checkpoint starting: time
2022-10-05 19:08:08 UTC::@:[355]:LOG: checkpoint complete: wrote 11 buffers (0.0%); 0 WAL file(s) added, 0 removed, 0 recycled; write=1.013 s, sync=0.006 s, total=1.033 s; sync files=8, longest=0.004 s, average=0.001 s; distance=131028 kB, estimate=131028 kB
----------------------- END OF LOG ----------------------

Mitigating risk of password exposure when using query logging

We recommend that you keep log_statement set to none to avoid exposing passwords. If you set log_statement to all, ddl, or mod, we recommend that you take one or more of the following steps.

For the client, encrypt sensitive information. For more information, see Encryption Options in the PostgreSQL documentation. Use the ENCRYPTED (and UNENCRYPTED) options of the CREATE and ALTER statements. For more information, see CREATE USER in the PostgreSQL documentation.
For your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance, set up and use the PostgreSQL Auditing (pgAudit) extension. This extension redacts sensitive information in CREATE and ALTER statements sent to the log. For more information, see Using pgAudit to log database activity.
Restrict access to the CloudWatch logs.
Use stronger authentication mechanisms such as IAM.

Publishing PostgreSQL logs to Amazon CloudWatch Logs

To store your PostgreSQL log records in highly durable storage, you can use Amazon CloudWatch Logs. With CloudWatch Logs, you can also perform real-time analysis of log data and use CloudWatch to view metrics and create alarms. For example, if you set log_statements to ddl, you can set up an alarm to alert you whenever a DDL statement is executed. You can choose to have your PostgreSQL logs uploaded to CloudWatch Logs during the process of creating your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance. If you chose not to upload logs at that time, you can later modify your instance to start uploading logs from that point forward. In other words, existing logs aren't uploaded. Only new logs are uploaded as they're created on your modified RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance.

All currently available RDS for PostgreSQL versions support publishing log files to CloudWatch Logs. For more information, see Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL updates in the Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL Release Notes..

To work with CloudWatch Logs, configure your RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance to publish log data to a log group.

You can publish the following log types to CloudWatch Logs for RDS for PostgreSQL:

Postgresql log
Upgrade log

After you complete the configuration, Amazon RDS publishes the log events to log streams within a CloudWatch log group. For example, the PostgreSQL log data is stored within the log group /aws/rds/instance/my_instance/postgresql. To view your logs, open the CloudWatch console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/cloudwatch/.

To publish PostgreSQL logs to CloudWatch Logs using the console

Open the Amazon RDS console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/rds/.
In the navigation pane, choose Databases.
Choose the DB instance that you want to modify, and then choose Modify.
In the Log exports section, choose the logs that you want to start publishing to CloudWatch Logs.

The Log exports section is available only for PostgreSQL versions that support publishing to CloudWatch Logs.
Choose Continue, and then choose Modify DB Instance on the summary page.

You can publish PostgreSQL logs with the AWS CLI. You can call the modify-db-instance command with the following parameters.

--db-instance-identifier
--cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration

Note

A change to the --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration option is always applied to the DB instance immediately. Therefore, the --apply-immediately and --no-apply-immediately options have no effect.

You can also publish PostgreSQL logs by calling the following CLI commands:

Run one of these CLI commands with the following options:

--db-instance-identifier
--enable-cloudwatch-logs-exports
--db-instance-class
--engine

Other options might be required depending on the CLI command you run.

Example Modify an instance to publish logs to CloudWatch Logs

The following example modifies an existing PostgreSQL DB instance to publish log files to CloudWatch Logs. The --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration value is a JSON object. The key for this object is EnableLogTypes, and its value is an array of strings with any combination of postgresql and upgrade.

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:


aws rds modify-db-instance \
    --db-instance-identifier mydbinstance \
    --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"EnableLogTypes":["postgresql", "upgrade"]}'

For Windows:


aws rds modify-db-instance ^
    --db-instance-identifier mydbinstance ^
    --cloudwatch-logs-export-configuration '{"EnableLogTypes":["postgresql","upgrade"]}'

Example Create an instance to publish logs to CloudWatch Logs

The following example creates a PostgreSQL DB instance and publishes log files to CloudWatch Logs. The --enable-cloudwatch-logs-exports value is a JSON array of strings. The strings can be any combination of postgresql and upgrade.

For Linux, macOS, or Unix:


aws rds create-db-instance \
    --db-instance-identifier mydbinstance \
    --enable-cloudwatch-logs-exports '["postgresql","upgrade"]' \
    --db-instance-class db.m4.large \
    --engine postgres

For Windows:


aws rds create-db-instance ^
    --db-instance-identifier mydbinstance ^
    --enable-cloudwatch-logs-exports '["postgresql","upgrade"]' ^
    --db-instance-class db.m4.large ^
    --engine postgres

You can publish PostgreSQL logs with the RDS API. You can call the ModifyDBInstance action with the following parameters:

DBInstanceIdentifier
CloudwatchLogsExportConfiguration

Note

A change to the CloudwatchLogsExportConfiguration parameter is always applied to the DB instance immediately. Therefore, the ApplyImmediately parameter has no effect.

You can also publish PostgreSQL logs by calling the following RDS API operations:

Run one of these RDS API operations with the following parameters:

DBInstanceIdentifier
EnableCloudwatchLogsExports
Engine
DBInstanceClass

Other parameters might be required depending on the operation that you run.

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Document Conventions

Oracle database log files

Monitoring RDS API calls in CloudTrail