One of the most important components when you make a website is a database. Whether you use common CMS platforms like WordPress, Magento, Joomla, or other PHP frameworks such as Laravel, CakePHP, or CodeIgniter, you will probably need to integrate a database that stores the website data.

In this article, we will focus on exporting and importing one of the most popular database management systems, MySQL. This knowledge will come in handy if you wish to transfer your database to another server or simply create a database backup.

There are two easy ways to export and import MySQL databases:

1. Use phpMyAdmin
2. Use SSH command line

Now we will explain each method in detail below, so read on!

How to Export and Import MySQL Through phpMyAdmin

Exporting

To export an existing MySQL database using phpMyAdmin, make sure you are logged in to your cPanel area first. Once you’re in, type phpMyAdmin in the top right search bar and click on the option shown.

A new browser window will open, and the next step is to select the database you would like to export. Make sure you select the correct one if there are multiple databases. Once the database is selected, click “Export,” and on the “Export Method” option, choose Quick. Next, you can choose SQL format if you wish to re-import the database elsewhere. Lastly, click Go.

Now all you have to do is wait for a few minutes (or seconds if your database is quite small) until the export process is complete. You should now be able to find the .sql file within your Downloads folder.

Importing

Again, you will need to go to your cPanel and navigate to phpMyAdmin.

Prepare your SQL database file that you’d like to import.

Now that you have the SQL file ready, go back to phpMyAdmin and select the empty database (if you haven’t created it yet, go back to cPanel > MySQL Database Wizard). After selecting the database, click the Import button on the top bar. Next, click Choose File to select the .sql file. Then scroll down and click Go.

Importing a MySQL database will take a few minutes normally. When it is done, there will be a prompt saying “Import has been successfully finished,” and you will be able to see the content of your SQL database within the previously empty one.

How to Export and Import MySQL Through SSH Command Line

Note: To export and import MySQL via the command line, the cPanel SSH access must be enabled. Make sure you know basic SSH commands to log in to your server via Terminal or PuTTY. You will also need to have the database credentials such as the database name, user, and password.

Exporting

First, open your terminal or PuTTY and log in to your hosting account. Once logged in, navigate to the directory where you wish to export the SQL database and type in the command below:

Make sure to replace DBUSERNAME with the correct database username and DBNAME with the correct database name.

Here’s the breakdown of the command:

• mysqldump is the command to export the MySQL database.
• -u specifies the username of the MySQL database.
• -p indicates the need to use the database password.
• dbbackup.sql is the result of the export.

After typing the command above, you will be asked to enter the database password. If the password is correct, the export progress will start. Once finished, type the command ls, and dbbackup.sql should be visible.

Importing

Importing a MySQL database via SSH involves almost the same exact steps as exporting. Once you are logged in to your server via Terminal or PuTTY, navigate to the directory where you stored the SQL file that you wish to import into an existing empty database. Then run this command:

Don’t forget to replace DBUSERNAME and DBNAME with the correct database username and name accordingly.

Command Breakdown:

• mysql is the command to import the MySQL database.
• -u specifies the username of the MySQL database.
• -p indicates the need to use the database password.
• dbbackup.sql is the SQL file that will be imported.

You will then be prompted to input the correct password, and afterward, the import progress will be initiated. Depending on the database size, it can take a few seconds or minutes for the database import to finish.

Conclusion

Now that you see how incredibly easy it is to import or export a MySQL database, there’s no need to worry if there comes a day when you need to do either. For beginners, it’s always recommended to export or import the databases via phpMyAdmin, as it’s much easier and GUI-based. For the more experienced users out there, feel free to type in those commands from your terminal, and voila! Your SQL database will be exported/imported in no time!