Hey! In this article, I’ll show you how I get SQL query logs in Laravel 12 when I want to debug database issues or just see what queries are being run in the background.

Laravel gives you a few clean ways to track queries — using DB::listen(), enabling query logs, or even saving them in a custom log file. Let’s check out how each one works.

Laravel 12 Get SQL Query Log

 

You can log queries directly using DB::listen().

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\DB;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Log;

public function boot()
{
    DB::listen(function ($query) {
        Log::info('SQL: ' . $query->sql);
        Log::info('Bindings: ' . json_encode($query->bindings));
        Log::info('Time: ' . $query->time . 'ms');
    });
}

Now, every query will be logged in storage/logs/laravel.log.

 

This is useful for logging queries temporarily during a request:

DB::enableQueryLog();

// Run your queries...

$queries = DB::getQueryLog();
dd($queries);

This dumps all queries that were executed in that request.

 

If you prefer a UI, install Laravel Debugbar:

composer require barryvdh/laravel-debugbar --dev

It automatically shows all queries on each page in a browser toolbar — no extra config needed.

 

This shows the raw SQL (with placeholders) before it's executed:

public function index()
{
    $query = User::select("*")->toSql();
    dd($query);
}

This returns something like:

"select * from `users`"

Note: It won’t show the actual bindings (values), just the SQL string.

 

This methods may be invoked on a query to dump the query's SQL with all parameter bindings properly substituted:

    public function index()
    {
        $query = User::select("*")->ddRawSql();
            
        dd($query);
    }

 This returns something like:

"select * from `users`"

 

The end() function can give the last executed query.

public function index()
{
    DB::enableQueryLog();

    $users = User::select("*")->get();

    $query = DB::getQueryLog();
    $query = end($query); // get the last executed query

    dd($query);
}

 

If you want to only log slow queries (e.g. above 100ms), you can filter them:

DB::listen(function ($query) {
    if ($query->time > 100) {
        Log::warning('Slow query detected: ' . $query->sql);
    }
});

This helps in performance tuning by focusing only on the expensive queries.

Personally, I use toSql() when I’m writing queries, and enableQueryLog() or Debugbar when I’m trying to catch real-time behavior.

Hope this helped! Save these snippets — you’ll use them often.

 

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