Catalyst::Plugin::Profile::DBI::Log

What It Does

When debugging performance issues in a Catalyst application, the first question is often "why was this request slow?" — and the answer is often in the database. This plugin gives you a quick, in-browser view of exactly what queries each HTTP request triggered, without leaving your development server.

Per-Request Profiling

Every request gets its own log file capturing all queries executed during that request, with timestamps and timing data.

SQL Query Details

View every query executed, formatted and syntax-highlighted for readability, along with how long each one took.

Stack Traces

Each query shows where in your codebase it was triggered — skip past framework internals straight to the relevant file and line number.

Request Metadata

Each profile captures the HTTP method, path, IP address, user agent, and a timestamp so you can identify requests at a glance.

Screenshots

Table listing profiled HTTP requests with method, path, query timing, and a View button for each — **Request list** — all profiled requests are shown newest-first with total DB time, slowest individual query, and number of queries executed. The colour-coded method badges make it easy to spot GET vs POST at a glance.

Detail view showing six SQL queries executed during a POST /api/v2/orders request, each with timing and stack trace — **Request detail** — click View on any request to see every SQL query that was executed, how long each one took, and the stack trace showing where it was called from in your code.

Quick Start

Install from CPAN:

cpanm Catalyst::Plugin::Profile::DBI::Log

Add the plugin to your Catalyst app:

# in lib/MyApp.pm
use Catalyst qw(
    -Debug
    ConfigLoader
    Static::Simple
    Profile::DBI::Log
);

Optionally configure the output directory in your catalyst.conf:

<Plugin::Profile::DBI::Log>
    dbilog_out_dir dbilog_output
</Plugin::Profile::DBI::Log>

Start your development server, make some requests, then browse to:

http://localhost:3000/dbi/log/index

How It Works

Under the hood, the plugin hooks into the Catalyst request lifecycle and uses DBI::Log to capture all database queries. At the start of each request, a new log file is created with metadata about the HTTP request (method, path, IP, user agent, timestamp). As the request is processed, every DBI query is appended to the log with timing data and a stack trace. At the end of the request, the log is finalised — or deleted if no queries were logged.

The plugin also injects a Catalyst::Controller (via CatalystX::InjectComponent) that provides the web UI for browsing profiled requests.

Security Note

Development tool only. This plugin captures, records, and serves up raw SQL queries — which may contain sensitive data such as user IDs, search parameters, or personal information. Do not load this plugin on a production server or expose an application with it enabled to the public Internet.

Links

Repository: github.com/bigpresh/Catalyst-Plugin-Profile-DBI::Log

CPAN: metacpan.org/dist/Catalyst-Plugin-Profile-DBI-Log

Related modules: DBI::Log, Catalyst, DBIx::Class, Catalyst::Plugin::DBIC::Profiler