Performing Database Backups:

Using mysqldump:

MySQL provides the mysqldump tool for creating logical backups of databases.

You can use it to dump the entire database or specific tables to a text file containing SQL statements.

Example of backing up a single database:

                        
                        mysqldump -u username -p database_name > backup.sql
                        
                    

Example of backing up specific tables:

                        
                        mysqldump -u username -p database_name table1 table2 > backup.sql
                        
                    

Using Binary Logs (Binary Backup):

• With the help of the binary log of MySQL, one can create the full changes of the database that are stacked on top of each other.
• You can choose to keep binary logs in MySQL configuration, and make full snapshots of binary log files frequently.

Performing Database Restores:

Using MySQL Client:

You can easily restore the database backup file using the MySQL client by just entering (i.e., using) the corresponding SQL statements in the backup file.

                        
                        mysql -u username -p database_name < backup.sql
                        
                    

Using mysqldump:

If you had mysqldump formerly to make the back-up, you can use it to restore it as well.

                        
                        mysql -u username -p database_name < backup.sql
                        
                    

Other Tools for Backup and Recovery:

MySQL Enterprise Backup:

• The MySQL Enterprise Backup is a commercial software package, issued by Oracle for the physical creation of MySQL data set backups.
• It has the ability to take backups online as well as the option of hot backups which cannot cause any halt at the database operations.

Third-Party Backup Solutions:

• Besides various external backup solutions for MySQL capable of handling sophisticated tasks like automated backups, scheduling and cloud support, many other additional features are notable.

Backup Best Practices:

Regular Backups:

• Perform regular backups of your databases to ensure data recovery in case of data loss or corruption.

Offsite Backups:

• Placing a copy of files in a well guarded faraway location is supposed to protect the information in case of instances such as hardware failures or natural disasters.

Test Backups:

• Performing the backup-restoring operation from time to time to ensure that everything works fine and data gets its way back, if it needed.

Backup Retention Policy:

• Your backup policy will state how long you are supposed to keep backup files and for how long you are supposed to delete stored backup files in order to conserve space on storage devices.