MySQL Backup and Recovery#
A backup that has never been restored is not a backup. This guide covers the tools, when to use each, and how to verify your backups work.
Logical vs Physical Backups#
Logical backups export SQL statements. Portable across versions but slow for large databases. Physical backups copy raw InnoDB data files. Fast but tied to the same MySQL version. Physical backups are essential once your database exceeds a few hundred gigabytes.