Looker startup options

There are a number of Looker startup settings that can optionally be configured on customer-hosted instances. If you do not need to change these options, you may start Looker without them.

Startup options list

The following table provides a list of current startup options in alphabetical order. You can also display a list of startup options by running the Looker startup script with the option --help.

Option	Description
--alerts-scheduler-threads=<i>	Number of simultaneous scheduled alerts (default: 3).
--ami	Deprecated. Use --marketplace=aws instead.
--api-server-max-threads=<i>	Maximum threads count for Puma API Server.
--api-server-min-threads=<i>	Minimum threads count for Puma API Server.
--application-server-max-threads=<i>	Maximum threads count for Puma Application Server.
--application-server-min-threads=<i>	Minimum threads count for Puma Application Server.
--apply-db-migrations	Apply DB migrations on startup. Only disable if you're applying migrations separately (default: true).
--async-results-cache-time=<i>	Length of time to keep async results cached (default: 300).
--cdn-hosts=<s>	Comma separated hostnames for CDN pool (default: static-a.lookercdn.com,static-b.lookercdn.com).
--cipher-key-file=<s>	Path to file containing cipher key (legacy encryption only).
--cloud-trace-enabled	Enable tracing using default credentials or json credentials if provided via cloud_trace_json_file (default: false).
--cloud-trace-json-file=<s>	JSON file containing the service account credentials to upload trace data to Google Cloud Trace.
--cloud-trace-project-id=<s>	Google project ID to upload trace data to.
--cloud-trace-sample-rate=<f>	The rate (0-1) with which to sample traces (default: 0.0).
--clustered	Whether this server is part of a cluster (default: false).
--concurrent-render-caching-jobs=<i>	Number of simultaneous render caching processes (default: 3).
--concurrent-render-jobs=<i>	Number of simultaneous PhantomJS or Chromium rendering processes (default: 2).
--core-on-loopback	Exposes Core API on loopback interface (default: false).
--core-port=<i>	Port to run core on (default: 19999).
--customer-artifact-maxsize=<i>	Maximum size in MB of the customer artifact store.
-d, --internal-db-creds=<s>	Path to YAML file with DB credentials.
--daemonize	Runs as daemon (default: true).
--default-mailer-domain=<s>	Default mailer domain.
--default-mailer-fromemail=<s>	Email address that default mailer emails come from (default: Looker <[e-mail]>).
--default-mailer-host=<s>	Default mailer hostname (default: smtp.sendgrid.net).
--default-mailer-password=<s>	Default mailer password (password on command line not recommended).
--default-mailer-port=<i>	Default mailer port (default: 587).
--default-mailer-username=<s>	Default mailer username.
--disable-db-log	Disables logging of internal DB queries (default: false).
--dogstatsd-host-ip=<s>	Datadog statsd server host IP.
--dogstatsd-host-port=<i>	Datadog server host port.
-e, --help	Displays this list of startup options.
--enable-blobstore-recryption	Enable Persistent Blobstore recryption on rekey operations (default: false).
--error-emails-to=<s>	Error emails to <email address>.
--experimental-features=<s>	Comma separated list of allowed experimental features.
--experimental-routes=<s>	Comma separated list of allowed experimental routes that generate routes with the suffix of -next.
--extension-load-url=<s>	URL to load extensions into a secure iframe.
--external-solr-enabled	Enable external Solr (as opposed to the default — embedded Solr) (default: false).
--fips	Enable FIPS-140 encryption (default: false).
--force-cdn	Forcibly enable CDN (default: false).
--force-cipher-key	Disregards safeguards for the cipher key settings (legacy encryption only, default: false).
--force-enable-pendo	Enables Pendo guides on private label instances or in embed contexts (default: false).
--force-error-emails	Forces Looker to report errors via email (default: false).
--force-gcm-encryption	DEPRECATED (this option is no longer necessary).
--force-mismatched-internal-db	Allows use of out-of-sync Looker internal DB (default: false).
--force-no-cdn	Forcibly disable CDN (default: false).
--git-hooks-use-local-path	Use a local path for the git_hooks directory instead of shared storage.
--git-performance-logging	Enables logging of JGit performance (default: false).
--google-analytics-tracker-id=<s>	Tracking ID to use for sending pageviews to additional Google Analytics trackers.
-h, --hosted	Hosted by Looker.
-H, --hostname=<s>	Hostname for node-to-node communication.
--hosted-action-hub-disabled	Turn off hosted action hub.
--in-memory-cache-size=<i>	Size (in MB) of in memory cache (default: 200).
--integration-proxy-cert=<s>	Path to Integration Proxy PKI cert file.
--integration-proxy-key=<s>	Path to Integration Proxy PKI key file.
--internal-analytics-connection-file=<s>	YAML file describing the internal analytics connection that hosts data for the system__activity model. This option is for use with a read replica backend database only.
--internal-analytics-connection-pool-size=<i>	The number of simultaneous DB connections that may run system activity model queries. This option is for use with a read replica backend database only.
--internal-analytics-retention-days=<i>	The number of days to retain history data in the internal database. This does not affect any ETL process. The default is 90. This option is for use with a read replica backend database only.
--k8s-deployment-api-s3bucket-url=<s>	URL where this Looker process can write S3 bucket credentials to be persisted as Kubernetes secrets.
--log-format=<s>	Log format that is either text or json (default: text).
--log-level=<s>	Log level (default: info).
--log-to-file	Sends log output to Looker log file (default: true).
--lookml-runtime-cache-size=<i>	Size (in MB) of LookML runtime cache (default: 200).
--loose-cipher-key-file	Don't require 0600 permissions for cipher key file (legacy encryption only, default: false).
--marketplace=<s>	Running in a Looker Marketplace instance.
--max-async-threads=<i>	Maximum number of async query threads (default: 200).
--max-configurable-db-connections=<i>	Maximum connection count allowed for a customer DB connection in the UI.
--max-db-connections-records=<i>	Maximum number of connection records allowed in db_connection table (default: 10000).
--max-pdt-regen-threads=<i>	Maximum number of PDT regenerator threads.
--max-scheduled-plans=<i>	Maximum number of active recurring scheduled plans (default: unlimited).
--max-scheduler-jitter-in-seconds=<i>	Flag to smear schedule runs randomly over the given number of seconds.
--max-unstreamed-limit=<i>	Sets the maximum number of rows that can be returned for all queries that are not streamed (default: 100,000).
--min-pdt-regen-threads=<i>	Minimum threads count for PDT Regenerator.
--monitoring-port=<i>	Port for hosting monitoring (Prometheus, ...) (default: 1552).
-n, --node-to-node-port=<i>	Port for node-to-node communication (default: 1551).
--new-cipher-key-file=<s>	Path to file containing new cipher key (legacy encryption only).
--on-disk-cache-size=<i>	Size (in MB) of disk cache (default: 2000).
-p, --port=<i>	Port to run on (default: 9999).
--per-user-query-limit=<i>	Limits number of concurrent queries per user (default: 15).
--per-user-query-timeout=<i>	Length of per-user timeout to wait for connection (default: 600).
--prefer-ipv4	Prefer IPv4.
--public-embed-auth-param-file=<s>	Authentication parameter file for public auth.
--public-host-url=<s>	If the public_host_url license feature is enabled, this option enables admins to specify a public_host_url hostname so that the Looker Action API callback URIs are constructed with the public_host_url rather than the default host URL in Looker. The input for the startup option should be https://<my.host.name> with no trailing slash in the URL. If using this method, Looker admins must also allowlist the static egress IP addresses listed on the Sharing data through an action hub documentation page.
-q, --queue-broker-port=<i>	Port for queue broker (default: 61616).
--qm-long-poll-max-sleep-interval-in-seconds=<f>	Max sleep interval before the long poll API is going to check if results are available (default: 1).
--qm-long-poll-sleep-interval-in-seconds=<i>	Initial sleep interval before the long poll API is going to check if results are available (default: 0.1).
--qm-long-poll-timeout-in-seconds=<i>	Maximum server side timeout for the long poll API before it returns to the client (default: 30).
--query-manager-max-threads=<i>	Maximum threads count for Query Manager.
--query-manager-min-threads=<i>	Minimum threads count for Query Manager.
--query-metrics-retention-hours=<i>	The number of hours to retain query_metrics data in the internal database (default: 336).
--queue-startup-timeout-in-seconds=<i>	How long in seconds to allow connection to the queue on startup (default: 180).
--query-task-cleanup-interval-seconds=<i>	Interval between query task table cleanup jobs (default: 600).
--query-task-persistence-duration-minutes=<i>	Amount of time after query completion to keep rows in the query task table (default: 360).
-r, --root	Allows running as root. Looker does not require root privileges for normal operation. For security purposes, we recommend that you run Looker in a non-root account. Use the option to run as root only when required, for example, if requested by a Looker analyst for troubleshooting purposes.
--redis-cache-config-file=<s>	File containing redis configuration.
--report-backend-errors, --no-report-backend-errors	Reports errors from the backend (default: false).
--report-frontend-errors, --no-report-frontend-errors	Reports errors from the frontend (default: false). NOTE: This startup option is obsolete. Use the client_monitor feature flag instead.
-S, --ssh-tunnel-sidecar-url=<s>	The base URL used to connect to the SSH Tunnel Server Sidecar.
--scheduled-job-attempt-limit=<i>	Max number of scheduled job attempts (default: 10).
--scheduled-job-max-age-days=<i>	Maximum age of a scheduled job before it is deleted (default: 60).
--scheduler-query-limit=<i>	Limits number of concurrent scheduled queries (default: 10).
--scheduler-query-timeout=<i>	Length of scheduler timeout to wait for connection (default: 1200).
--scheduler-start-delay=<i>	Number of seconds to delay task runner startup (default: 60).
--scheduler-threads=<i>	Number of simultaneous scheduled tasks (default: 10).
--search-result-comparison	Compare Search Service results to legacy results (default: false).
--search-service	Enables Search Service (default: false).
--search-service-ab-test	Enable AB test for Search Service (default: false).
--self-signup	Allows anyone to create an account for themselves.
--shared-storage-dir=<s>	Path to network file system shared storage.
--snowplow-host=<s>	Extra Snowplow collector.
--solr-basic-auth=<s>	Basic auth credentials for calls to Solr (default: solr:SolrRocks).
--ssl	Uses SSL (default: true).
--ssl-ca-cert=<s>	Deprecated. Use --ssl-keystore instead.
--ssl-cert=<s>	Deprecated. Use --ssl-keystore instead.
--ssl-key=<s>	Deprecated. Use --ssl-keystore instead.
--ssl-keystore-pass-file=<s>	Path to file containing ssl-keystore password.
--ssl-keystore-pass=<s>	Password for ssl-keystore file.
--ssl-keystore=<s>	Path to keystore file for SSL.
--ssl-provided-externally-by=<s>	Provides the host:port for an external SSL provider as accessible from the server that is running Looker. When not specified, the Looker app server provides SSL. Here is an example for an SSL proxy in front of a Looker cluster: --ssl-provided-externally-by=192.168.123.13:443 Here is an example of an SSL provider on the same host as your Looker instance: --ssl-provided-externally-by=localhost:443 A null value indicates that the Looker app server provides SSL. If your Looker instance is running on a server with restricted access to the public internet, you will need to specify an IP address on your internal network that is reachable by the server for your Looker instance.
--ssl-provided-externally	Deprecated. Use --ssl-provided-externally-by instead.
--staging	Runs server as staging. This option will prevent your staging instance from sending out scheduled reports. However, the staging instance will still continue to run scheduled tasks and will send out error emails to scheduled plan owners if the scheduled task has any issues.
--staging-override-email=<s>	Sends emails on a staging instance to this address instead of their normal destination.
--stereo-data-search-enabled	Enable the stereo data search feature (default: false).
--task-monitor-abandoned-query-in-seconds=<i>	Duration elapsed since the last access for a task to consider the query task abandoned.
--task-monitor-query-startup-interval-in-seconds=<i>	Duration used as a grace period when queries start execution until the first long poll occurs. It helps give more room for callers before starting polling.
--task-monitor-sleep-interval-in-seconds=<i>	Sleep interval before task tracking thread can check whether tasks are abandoned.
--unlimited-scheduler-threads=<i>	Number of simultaneous unlimited scheduled tasks (default: 3).
--use-custom-jdbc-config	Whether to use custom JDBC driver config (default: false).
--user-db-credentials	Restricted usage. Connections can use per-user credentials (default: false).
-v, --version	Prints version and exits.

Credentials file format

If you have changed the application database to MySQL, you'll need a credentials file named looker-db.yml that includes these settings:

dialect: mysql
host: YOUR_HOSTNAME
username: YOUR_USERNAME
password: YOUR_PASSWORD
database: YOUR_DBNAME
port: YOUR_PORT

If your MySQL database requires an SSL connection, the looker-db.yml file also requires the following:

ssl: true

Making startup options permanent

The preferred method for making startup configuration settings permanent is to create a file named lookerstart.cfg in the Looker application directory. This file will be executed by the Looker startup script that was provided with your looker.jar. The lookerstart.cfg file is the recommended place to set environment variables for JAVAARGS and LOOKERARGS because they will not be overwritten when new versions of the Looker startup script are installed.

Here is an example lookerstart.cfg, which disables Looker's SSL and sets it to run on port 8080:

LOOKERARGS="--no-ssl --port 8080"

Looker will need to be restarted after making changes to lookerstart.cfg.

Next steps

After you have configured Looker startup options, you're ready to configure your SSL certificate for proper HTTPS.