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You can search ClickHouse-hosted logs without writing SQL by using ClickStack’s HyperDX interface. Its Lucene-style search and filters cover routine event investigations, while SQL remains available for queries that need custom analysis. The right setup depends on whether you mean application or infrastructure logs, ClickHouse’s own query history, or a local log file.
Choose the logs you need to search
| Data | Best-fit route | SQL needed for the search? |
|---|---|---|
| Application, service, or infrastructure events stored in ClickHouse | ClickStack with the HyperDX UI | No for routine search; SQL remains available for advanced analysis. |
| ClickHouse server query-history records | Configure a ClickStack source for system.query_log |
No for UI search after the source is configured. |
| A standalone local text file | clickhouse local |
Yes. The documented workflow reads raw lines, then uses SQL to parse or aggregate them. |
ClickStack combines ClickHouse storage, the HyperDX UI, and OpenTelemetry collection. Its product page describes log search, dashboards, alerts, and correlation across logs, metrics, and traces. See ClickHouse’s ClickStack documentation for product details and setup guidance.
Search application and infrastructure logs in HyperDX
For the most direct no-SQL workflow, ingest observability data into ClickStack and search it in HyperDX. Start with the UI’s Lucene-style search and available filters to narrow events by the information present in your data. From there, you can investigate in context, build dashboards, or set alerts.
ClickStack is OpenTelemetry-native, but ClickHouse says it can also work with other wide-event formats and custom pipelines when the events have a timestamp. That does not mean an arbitrary table is automatically ready to search: the source and field mapping must suit the dataset. The timestamp is essential for HyperDX to render and visualize events.
If a search needs a custom aggregation or deeper analysis, use SQL as an escape hatch. HyperDX is a way to avoid hand-writing SQL for common investigations, not a replacement for SQL in every analytical task.
Find ClickHouse’s own query history
ClickHouse’s server query history is recorded in system.query_log. The table is distinct from application or infrastructure logs stored in ClickHouse. ClickHouse’s embedded ClickStack walkthrough shows how to make query-history records searchable in the UI.
Configure the query-log source
- Follow the current ClickHouse instructions for embedding ClickStack, and verify that system log tables are enabled and available on your server.
- In ClickStack, create a Log Source for database
systemand tablequery_log. - Set the timestamp column to
event_time. - Choose fields that support the investigation. The walkthrough’s default selection includes
query,initial_user,memory_usage,read_rows, andquery_duration_ms. - Open the search view and search the configured source. Use the fields available in your server’s records to investigate query text and related metadata.
The walkthrough is an example configuration, not a guarantee that every server has identical settings or populated records. Check the current ClickHouse embedded ClickStack walkthrough and your server configuration if the source is unavailable or expected fields do not appear.
When a local file is not already in ClickHouse
If you have a standalone text log rather than an ingested ClickHouse source, ClickHouse documents clickhouse local with the LineAsString input format to read each raw line without importing the file into a server. This is a separate workflow from searching in HyperDX: parsing lines and calculating aggregates in clickhouse local use SQL. Follow the ClickHouse guide to reading and analyzing log files for the documented procedure.
Choose how to operate ClickStack
Self-hosted ClickStack
ClickStack is presented as an open-source observability stack. A self-hosted deployment gives you the HyperDX UI and ClickHouse-based workflow, but you operate the deployment and its configuration.
Managed ClickStack
ClickHouse also describes Managed ClickStack on ClickHouse Cloud as a hosted option that handles cluster management and related operations. It is optional; self-hosting does not require a managed deployment. Check ClickHouse’s Managed ClickStack documentation for current availability and terms.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What about searching logs in Grafana?
A ClickHouse blog post describes a search-first Grafana interface as a prototype or experiment, not as a generally available feature. Do not assume that workflow is ready in every Grafana ClickHouse plugin installation. For a currently documented SQL-free ClickHouse log-search path, use ClickStack’s HyperDX UI; consult the ClickHouse Grafana search-first article for the proposal’s status and context.
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