Backups are a very important part of maintaining a website. It is important to backup your files and databases on a week-to-week or month-to-month basis or prior to making any major changes so that a backup is available in the event of data loss.
A MySQL database backup will backup all data in a specific database. This can be useful for backing up the valuable data of various scripts; however, it is only a partial backup, and it will not include DNS, home directory files or other system files and settings. If you would prefer to generate a full backup, please see the following article:
- How to Generate/Download a Full Backup
Create a MySQL Database Backup
To create a backup of your MySQL Database:
- Log into cPanel.
- In the Files section, click on the Backups icon.
- Under Partial Backups > Download a MySQL Database Backup, click the name of the specific database you want to backup.
- In the popup that appears, click Save As or select Save File.
- Select a destination where you would like to store the backup locally.
- Click Save.
The backup file will be downloaded to the destination you have chosen in a .sql.gz file which can be opened with Linux command line. The file can also be unzipped from a Windows-based machine with the appropriate software.
Restore a Home Directory Backup
Warning: Restoring a backup will overwrite any existing files!
A MySQL database backup can be restored in cPanel, in the same place where the backup was created.
- Log into cPanel.
- In the Files section, click on the Backups icon.
- Under Partial Backups > Restore a MySQL Database Backup, click on the Browse Button.
- In the popup that appears, navigate to the appropriate destination and select the backup file you intend to use.
- Click Open.
- Click Upload.
A new tab will open, displaying the database name and status of the database restore. This is only for confirmation purposes and is safe to close.
