Command-line options
QuestDB may be started, stopped and passed configuration options from the command line. On Windows, the QuestDB server can also start an interactive session.
Options
The following sections describe the options that may be passed to QuestDB when starting the server from the command line.
- Linux/FreeBSD
- macOS (Homebrew)
- Windows
./questdb.sh [start|stop|status] [-d dir] [-f] [-n] [-t tag]
questdb [start|stop|status] [-d dir] [-f] [-n] [-t tag]
questdb.exe [start|stop|status|install|remove] \
[-d dir] [-f] [-j JAVA_HOME] [-t tag]
Start
start - starts QuestDB as a service.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-d | Expects a dir directory value which is a folder that will be used as QuestDB's root directory. For more information and the default values, see the default root section below. |
-t | Expects a tag string value which will be as a tag for the service. This option allows users to run several QuestDB services and manage them separately. If this option is omitted, the default tag will be questdb. |
-f | Force re-deploying the Web Console. Without this option, the Web Console is cached and deployed only when missing. |
-n | Do not respond to the HUP signal. This keeps QuestDB alive after you close the terminal window where you started it. |
-j | Windows only! This option allows to specify a path to JAVA_HOME. |
-
When running multiple QuestDB services, a tag must be used to disambiguate between services for
startandstopcommands. There will be conflicting ports and root directories if only the tag flag is specified when starting multiple services. Each new service should have its own config file or should be started with separate port and root directory options. -
When running QuestDB as Windows service you can check status in both:
- Windows Event Viewer - look for events with "QuestDB" source in Windows Logs | Application .
- service log file -
$dataDir\log\service-%Y-%m-%dT%H-%M-%S.txt(default isC:\Windows\System32\qdbroot\log\service-%Y-%m-%dT%H-%M-%S.txt)
- Linux/FreeBSD
- macOS (Homebrew)
- Windows
./questdb.sh start [-d dir] [-f] [-n] [-t tag]
questdb start [-d dir] [-f] [-n] [-t tag]
questdb.exe start [-d dir] [-f] [-j JAVA_HOME] [-t tag]
Default root directory
By default, QuestDB's root directory will be the following:
- Linux/FreeBSD
- macOS (Homebrew)
- Windows
$HOME/.questdb
Path on Macs with Apple Silicon (M1 or M2) chip:
/opt/homebrew/var/questdb
Path on Macs with Intel chip:
/usr/local/var/questdb
C:\Windows\System32\qdbroot
Stop
stop - stops a service.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-t | Expects a tag string value which to stop a service by tag. If this is omitted, the default tag will be questdb |
- Linux/FreeBSD
- macOS (Homebrew)
- Windows
./questdb.sh stop
questdb stop
questdb.exe stop
Status
status - shows the status for a service.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-t | Expects a tag string value which to stop a service by tag. If this is omitted, the default will be questdb |
- Linux/FreeBSD
- macOS (Homebrew)
- Windows
./questdb.sh status
questdb status
questdb.exe status
Install (Windows)
install - installs the Windows QuestDB service. The service will start
automatically at startup.
questdb.exe install
Remove (Windows)
remove - removes the Windows QuestDB service. It will no longer start at
startup.
questdb.exe remove
Interactive session (Windows)
You can start QuestDB interactively by running questdb.exe. This will launch
QuestDB interactively in the active Shell window. QuestDB will be stopped when
the Shell is closed.
Default root directory
When started interactively, QuestDB's root directory defaults to the current
directory.
Stop
To stop, press Ctrl+C in the terminal or close it directly.