How to Back Up Your WordPress Database

Backing up your WordPress database is not just a good practice—it's essential for protecting your website.

Your WordPress database contains all the vital information about your website, including posts, pages, comments, settings, and user data.

If something goes wrong with your website, such as a hacking attempt, server failures, human errors, or malware infections, having a recent backup of your database can be a lifesaver. It allows you to restore your website to its previous state without losing valuable content and data.

To back up your WordPress database, you can use your web hosting provider's backup tools. You can also use a plugin like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy.

Here are several methods to back up your WordPress database:

Method 1: Use a Plugin to Backing Up Your WordPress Database

There are several ways to back up your WordPress database, but the easiest and most reliable method is to use a plugin. We recommend using a reputable backup plugin such as UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or VaultPress.

These plugins make the backup process easier and allow you to schedule automatic backups, which is a huge time-saver.

Follow the below steps to backup your site using a plugin:

UpdraftPlus

1. Install and Activate: Go to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New, search for "UpdraftPlus", and install and activate the plugin.

2. Configure Settings: Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups. Configure backup settings, such as backup frequency and remote storage options such as Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.

3. Backup Now: Click the "Backup Now" button to create an immediate backup. Select the option to include the database in the backup.

Learn more about the ?? UpdraftPlus plugin .

BackWPup

1. Install and Activate: Go to Plugins > Add New, search for "BackWPup", and install and activate the plugin

2. Create a New Job: Go to BackWPup > Add New Job. Name your job and configure settings. Ensure the "Database backup" option is checked.

3. Schedule and Destination: Set up a schedule and choose where to save your backup like email, FTP, Dropbox, and many more.

4. Run the Job: Save your settings and click "Run Now" to create a backup.

Learn more about the ?? BackWPup plugin.

Periodically, it's a good idea to test the restoration process using your backup files. This ensures that you can successfully restore your website from a backup if the need arises.

Method 2: Manual Backup via phpMyAdmin

Alternatively, you can back up your WordPress site from cPanel. Here are the steps to do this accordingly:

• Log in to your hosting account. Usually, you can do this through your hosting provider's website. Look for something like "cPanel" or "Hosting Control Panel".
• Once you're in the control panel, find and click on "phpMyAdmin". This is the tool we'll use to manage your WordPress database.
• In phpMyAdmin, you'll see a list of databases on the left-hand side. Find the one that corresponds to your WordPress site (it's usually named something like "wp_yoursitename").
• With your WordPress database selected, look for the "Export" tab at the top. Click on it. You'll be presented with export options.
• You'll see two export methods: "Quick" and "Custom". For most purposes, "Quick" is fine. It exports all tables from your database.

• If you want more control, choose "Custom". Here, you can select specific tables or configure additional settings. For regular backups, the default settings usually work well.
• Make sure the export format is set to "SQL". This is the standard format for MySQL databases, which is what WordPress uses.
• Click the "Export" button, and phpMyAdmin will generate a download of your database. Save this file somewhere safe on your computer.

Once the export is complete, open the saved SQL file to ensure it contains your database tables and data. This step ensures your backup is good and ready for use if needed.

It's a good practice to schedule regular backups. Some hosting providers offer automated backup solutions. Alternatively, you can set a reminder to manually backup your database at regular intervals, like weekly or monthly.

Method 3: Manual Backup via Command Line

• Access Server via SSH: Use an SSH client like PuTTY to log in to your server.
• Navigate to Database Directory: Navigate to the directory where your database is stored.
• Execute Backup Command: mysqldump -u your_db_username -p your_db_name > /path_to_save_backup/your_db_name.sql

Replace your_db_username, your_db_name, and /path_to_save_backup/your_db_name.sql with your actual database username, database name, and desired backup path.

And that's it! You've successfully backed up your WordPress database.??? This means your website's data is safe and secure. ??

If you ever need to restore your site, you can use this backup to get everything back up and running smoothly.