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MySQL Backup ​

Back up MySQL and MariaDB databases with scheduled dumps to any cloud storage provider.

SimpleBackups connects to your MySQL or MariaDB database — on your own server, inside a Docker container, or via a managed cloud provider — and creates scheduled dump files using mysqldump. Backups are compressed, uploaded to your chosen storage, and retained according to the policy you set. For connection method options, see the database backup overview.

Backup options ​

By default, SimpleBackups runs mysqldump with standard settings. You can extend this behavior for specific needs.

Passwordless authentication ​

Passwordless authentication lets you keep your database credentials off the SimpleBackups configuration by reading them from a .my.cnf file on your server instead.

  1. Create or edit your MySQL configuration file (typically /etc/mysql/my.cnf or /etc/mysql/conf.d/client.cnf) and add your credentials under the [client] section:
plain
[client]
user=MYSQL_USER
password=MYSQL_PASSWORD
port=3306
host=127.0.0.1
  1. Verify the setup by running mysql from the command line without arguments — it should connect without prompting for credentials.
  2. When creating a backup in SimpleBackups, select Use .my.cnf as the authentication method.

Stored procedures and functions ​

Stored procedures and functions are not included in a single-database dump by default. To include them, open the backup, click Advanced, enter --routines under Custom Dump Flags, and click Save.

Hot backups with Percona XtraBackup ​

For production databases where locking is not acceptable, you can use Percona XtraBackup to take hot backups without interrupting reads or writes.

Hot backups with Percona XtraBackupSet up Percona XtraBackup to take non-locking hot backups of your MySQL database.

Binary log (incremental) backups ​

Binary log backups enable point-in-time recovery by capturing every change between full dumps.

Enable binary log for MySQL or MariaDBConfigure MySQL binary logging to enable incremental backups and point-in-time recovery.

Restoring a backup ​

Restore a MySQL backupHow to download and restore a standard MySQL dump file.

PlanetScale and Vitess ​

PlanetScale and Vitess backups use a split-file format — one -schema.sql file per table plus separate data files — rather than a single dump. To restore:

  1. Download and extract the backup archive:
bash
wget "SIGNED_DOWNLOAD_URL" -O backup.tar.gz
tar -xvf backup.tar.gz && cd extracted-directory
  1. Import schema files first:
bash
for file in *-schema.sql; do
  mysql -u username -p'password' -h host -P port < "$file"
done
  1. Import data files, skipping schema files:
bash
for file in *.sql; do
  [[ "$file" == *-schema.sql ]] && continue
  mysql -u username -p'password' -h host -P port < "$file"
done

Replace username, password, host, and port with your database credentials.

Troubleshooting ​

MySQL backup FAQCommon errors and fixes for MySQL backup operations.