Exporting and Backing Up a Database
Regular database backups are essential for protecting your website data. Exporting your database creates a copy that can be used to restore your site in case of data loss, corruption, or migration.
Exporting via phpMyAdmin
- Open phpMyAdmin from your cPanel.
- Select the database you want to export from the left sidebar.
- Click the Export tab.
- Choose the export method:
- Quick – Exports all tables with default settings. Good for simple backups.
- Custom – Allows you to select specific tables, output format, and other options.
- Ensure the format is set to SQL.
- Click Go to download the export file.
Custom Export Options
When using the custom method, useful options include:
- Add DROP TABLE – Includes statements to drop existing tables before recreating them, useful for restoring.
- Add CREATE DATABASE – Includes the database creation statement in the export.
- Compression – Export as
.gzor.zipto reduce file size. - Table selection – Export only specific tables if you do not need the entire database.
Scheduling Regular Backups
While manual exports are useful, you should also have automated backups. SillyHost includes automatic daily backups on all hosting plans. However, we recommend also creating your own manual backups before making significant changes to your website such as updating plugins, themes, or core software.
Backup Best Practices
- Create backups before any major changes to your site.
- Store backup copies in multiple locations such as your local computer, an external drive, and cloud storage.
- Test your backups periodically by restoring them to a test environment to ensure they are valid.
- Include both your database and website files in your backup routine for a complete recovery solution.
Using cPanel Backup
cPanel also provides a Backup Wizard that can export your databases along with your files, email, and account settings. Navigate to Files > Backup Wizard in cPanel for a guided backup experience.