The server ran out of available memory to execute the requested statement or operation.
MySQL Error 1037: ER_OUTOFMEMORY means the server lacks free RAM or swap to finish your query. Free system memory, raise MySQL memory limits, or move heavy processing off-box; then restart MySQL to clear caches and restore normal operation.
Out of memory; restart server and try again (needed %d
Error code 1037 appears when the MySQL server cannot allocate additional memory for internal buffers or temporary files needed to execute a statement. The server aborts the request and returns ER_OUTOFMEMORY with SQLSTATE HY001.
Because memory exhaustion halts processing, OLTP workloads, reporting jobs, and replication can all fail.
Prompt remediation prevents service downtime, data inconsistency, and customer-visible incidents.
MySQL throws ER_OUTOFMEMORY when physical RAM plus swap is fully consumed or when configured buffer limits are reached.
Large sorts, joins, or temporary tables rapidly increase memory pressure.
Misconfigured global variables such as sort_buffer_size, join_buffer_size, and tmp_table_size can let a single connection consume excess memory, starving the server.
Host-level issues like OS memory leaks, other heavyweight processes, or container limits also trigger the error even if MySQL itself is tuned correctly.
Immediate recovery starts with freeing memory: terminate rogue processes, reduce query concurrency, or expand swap.
Restart MySQL after RAM is available so internal caches reinitialize cleanly.
Long-term mitigation requires right-sizing MySQL buffers, optimizing queries, and adding RAM or moving analytics workloads to a replica. The next section walks through concrete steps.
Bulk data loads on small instances often exhaust tmp_table_size. Lower insertion batch size or raise tmp_table_size and max_heap_table_size, then retry LOAD DATA.
ETL reports performing large ORDER BY … LIMIT queries may fill sort buffers.
Tune sort_buffer_size conservatively (256 KB-2 MB) and add an index to eliminate sorting.
Shared Kubernetes nodes run out of cgroup memory. Increase the pod memory limit or dedicate a node to MySQL to avoid contention.
Set per-connection buffers to modest values and rely on server-wide caches. Monitor memory_usage, Innodb_buffer_pool_size, and tmp_disk_tables metrics to catch growth early.
Cap max_connections to realistic traffic peaks.
One oversized connection is safer than hundreds of medium ones eating memory in parallel.
Schedule heavy analytic queries on replicas or use Galaxy’s query plan advisor to rewrite them for lower memory footprint.
Galaxy’s AI copilot inspects execution plans and warns when a query will create large temporary tables.
Developers get inline suggestions to add indexes or break jobs into smaller batches, lowering memory demand before code reaches production.
Galaxy’s run-history dashboard surfaces per-query memory usage so teams spot problematic patterns and tune buffers proactively.
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sort_buffer_size or join_buffer_size values above 4 MB let a single thread monopolize RAM, quickly triggering ER_OUTOFMEMORY under concurrency.
SELECT statements lacking indexes force MySQL to create in-memory temp tables that may exceed max_heap_table_size and spill or fail.
External processes, JVMs, or container limits can consume host RAM, leaving MySQL unable to allocate new pages.
Servers with swap turned off have no safety net when RAM fills, so MySQL errors instead of swapping lightly used pages.
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Restarting frees internal buffers and can resolve transient memory exhaustion, but the error will return if underlying configuration or workload issues remain.
Requirements vary, but allocate at least memory for the InnoDB buffer pool (70-80 percent of RAM) plus overhead for connections, sort buffers, and OS cache.
You can kill heavy sessions, lower global buffers dynamically, or add swap while MySQL stays online. A full restart is safest but not mandatory.
MySQL reports the exact allocation request that failed, helping you gauge whether the failure was tiny (indicative of total exhaustion) or large (related to one query).
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