mysqldump

MySQL backup FAQ: How do I back up a MySQL database?

I can't speak about backing up MySQL databases that are modified twenty-four hours a day seven days a week, but on all the MySQL databases I currently work with, there are always times when I can guarantee that there won't be any SQL INSERTs, DELETEs, or UPDATEs occurring, so I find it's really easy to perform a MySQL backup using the mysqldump utility program. Here's how it works.

MySQL dump FAQ - How do I "dump" a MySQL database schema? (Also written as, "How do I make a MySQL database backup?")

Answer: Use the mysqldump database utility.

MySQL dump examples using the mysqldump utility

On a dos/windows pc with no name/password protection, you can dump a database named my_db with the following command, but don't do this just yet:

mysqldump my_db

Note that this gets you not only the database schema, but also the current data in the table.