BigQuery Runtime Configuration File

A BigQuery runtime configuration file (.bigqueryrc) is a text file that sets default options for the bq command-line tool. This file eliminates the need to repeatedly specify common CLI options for every query.

What It Does

The .bigqueryrc file allows you to:

  • Set default formatting options (like JSON output)
  • Configure SQL dialect preferences
  • Specify default locations and logging settings
  • Avoid typing repetitive command-line flags

Setup

  1. Create a file named .bigqueryrc in your home directory
  2. Add your preferred default options (see example below)
  3. The settings will automatically apply to all bq commands

Below is a recommended .bigqueryrc file for ROAR development:

--location=us
--apilog=stdout
--format=prettyjson

[query]
--use_legacy_sql=false

[mk]
--use_legacy_sql=false

Configuration Options Explained

  • --location=us: Sets the default location for BigQuery operations to US region
  • --apilog=stdout: Displays API request logs to standard output for debugging
  • --format=prettyjson: Formats query results as readable JSON
  • --use_legacy_sql=false: Uses standard SQL syntax instead of legacy BigQuery SQL

Overriding Defaults

You can override any .bigqueryrc setting for specific commands:

  • Command-line flags: bq query --format=csv "SELECT * FROM table"
  • Environment variables: export BIGQUERY_LOCATION=eu before running commands

For the complete list of available options, see the official documentation.