In this tutorial we will show you how to export a database from SSH. This is useful for many things such as when you are moving your site, since it exports the entire database, or before you attempt to upgrade a website, since it is essentially a backup of the database.
Generate a Database Backup
- Connect to your server via SSH.
- In the command line enter the following code:
mysqldump -u dbusername -p databasename > nameofdbbackup.sql --no-tablespaces
Be sure to replace:
dbusername = with the database username for the database you want to export.
databasename = with the name of the database you want to export.
nameofdbbackup = enter a name for the exported database. - Hit the Enter key and it will ask you for your password. Type your password and hit the Enter key again, it will begin exporting, this may take some time to complete, depending how large your database is. Your SSH client will take you to a new line when this process completes.The database will now be available for download in your home directory.
Congratulations, now you know how to Export / Backup your database from SSH!
I made a backup of a database 83 MB in size but the backup is only 36 MB. Why is this happening?
It’s possible the backup is a compressed file, so it may not match up exactly. How big is the database when you import the backup?