sleep query
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What is Sleep Query in MySQL Database?

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MySQL, the open-source RDBMS (Relational Database Management System), is the leading database choice for high profile, high traffic websites and web-based applications.

It is the de-facto database for large-scale websites like Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. due to its ease of use, reliability and high-performance Query engine that provides speedy data insert and fast search capability.

MySQL is available for a variety of platforms and is offered with different Linux and Windows services. ZNetLive offers an MYSQL database with its different dedicated hosting plans – Windows and Linux dedicated servers.

MySQL is a well – designed database where data is stored in multiple tables and the required information is pulled from the database via queries. Queries help you find specific data and facilitate quick working with the same data of yours.

Also Read: What is Digital Information Security in Healthcare Act (DISHA) in India?

But sometimes, MySQL database has a high volume of concurrent, long-running queries and while checking the status of connections, you might get some connections with the status- “sleep”.

What is the MYSQL sleep query?

When a database connection is created, a session is also created on the database server simultaneously, but if that connection and session is not closed properly, then the query goes into sleep mode after the wait time gets over.

As per MySQL reference manual, Sleep is the thread waiting for the client to send a new statement to it”.

So, a sleep query is the query that waits for the timeout to terminate. That means query which takes time to execute and terminate goes in the sleep status.

sleep query in MySQL database

Effects of a large number of MYSQL query – sleep :

  • Increased consumption of CPU and memory resources (RAM, cache, and processor).
  • Slowing down of server.
  • Increased downtime for websites -hackers try to slow website using sleep SQL injections

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Why MySQL Sleep Processes take place?

Connections waiting for a new MYSQL query, better known as the sleep processes, occur if in coding persistent connection to the database is used or if the database connection is not closed properly.

So, you get connections in the sleep state when a PHP script connects to MySQL, queries are executed and the connection is left open without disconnecting from the server.

Until the thread dies, any pre-thread buffers will be kept in the memory for 28,800 seconds in MySQL by default.
So, when many PHP processes stay connected without doing anything on the database, you end up with many processes in the sleep state.

How to overcome these issues?

To overcome this issue of SQL sleep command, MySQL uses two parameters:

interactive_ timeout and wait_ timeout.

These require certain values to be set to help query run-up to that set time.

By default, both the parameters have set the value as 28800 seconds (i.e. 8 hours).

Also Read: 12 cybersecurity measures to instantly protect your business data

To set these parameters in MySQL without restarting it, run below two commands in its terminal:

SET GLOBAL interactive_ timeout = 180;
SET GLOBAL wait_ timeout = 180;

You need to add these parameters in my.cnf file of MySQL under mysqld section, so that they can take effect after restarting the database server.

Also, at every script’s end, add mysql_ close() function so as to close the connection to the database once the query is done.

If you have the root access to your server, use the following command to edit my.cnf:

  $Locate my.cnf

It will show the location of the MySQL configuration file, then use the following command to edit my.cnf:
$vi /etc/my.cnf

And add this line in my.cnf:

  wait_timeout = 60

where time is in seconds.

Thus, the connections will automatically close after waiting for 60 seconds.

If you have any feedback, share it through the comments.

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Lipika Is a fun loving person who enjoys writing. She loves learning about all things technical and loves guiding others about it. In her free time, she likes dancing and listening to music. You can catch her at Google+.
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