MySQL Backup Manager
A single-file PHP script that lists all your MySQL databases and lets you back them up with one click. Each backup is saved as a date-stamped .sql file using mysqldump.
!PHP !MySQL !Platform !License
✨ Features
- 📋 Lists all user databases (skips
information_schema,performance_schema,mysql,sys,test) - 💾 One-click backup per database
- 💾 Backup All button to dump every database at once
- 📅 Backups saved as
{db_name}_{YYYYMMDD}.sql(e.g.shop_20260101.sql) - ⚙️ Configurable
mysqldumppath via a built-in settings input - 💽 Settings persist in
backup_config.json— enter the path only once - ✅ Live status check showing whether
mysqldump.exewas found - 🔔 Clear success / error messages after each backup
- 🎨 Clean, dependency-free UI (plain PHP + CSS, no frameworks)
- 🌍 Works on Windows, Linux, and macOS
🖼️ Preview
The interface consists of:
- A settings box at the top where you enter the folder containing
mysqldump.exe - A table of databases with a 💾 Backup button on each row
- A large "Backup All Databases" button at the bottom
Each database row shows the exact filename that will be created, like yourdatabase_db_20260101.sql.
📁 Files Created
your-folder/
├── list_databases.php ← the main script
├── backup_config.json ← auto-created (stores your mysqldump path)
├── README.md ← this file
└── backups/ ← auto-created
├── yourdatabase_db_20260101.sql
├── yourotherdatabase_db_20260101.sql
└── ...
🚀 Requirements
| Requirement | Notes | |---|---| | PHP 7.4+ | With exec() enabled | | MySQL server | 5.7 or 8.x | | mysqldump | Ships with MySQL / XAMPP / WAMP / Laragon | | Web server | Apache, Nginx, or PHP built-in server | | Write permission | Script folder must be writable (for /backups and config file) |
> ⚠️ Important: exec() must not be in disable_functions in your php.ini. See Troubleshooting.
🛠️ Installation
Step 1 — Place the file
Put list_databases.php in your web server directory:
| Stack | Suggested path | |---|---| | XAMPP (Windows) | C:\xampp\htdocs\backup\ | | WAMP | C:\wamp64\www\backup\ | | Laragon | C:\laragon\www\backup\ | | MAMP | /Applications/MAMP/htdocs/backup/ | | Linux (Apache) | /var/www/html/backup/ |
Step 2 — Configure database credentials
Open list_databases.php and edit the top section:
// ===== Database connection settings =====
$db_host = 'localhost';
$db_user = 'root'; // Change to your MySQL username
$db_pass = ''; // Change to your MySQL password
$db_port = 3306; // Default MySQL port
// ========================================
Step 3 — Open in browser
http://localhost/backup/list_databases.php
Step 4 — Set the `mysqldump` path
In the settings box at the top, enter the folder that contains mysqldump.exe. For XAMPP on drive E:, that's:
e:\xampp\mysql\bin\
Click Save. You should see:
Full executable used: e:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqldump.exe ✓ found
If it says ✗ not found, see Finding mysqldump.exe.
📖 Usage
Back up a single database
Click the 💾 Backup button on the row of the database you want.
A file named {db_name}_{YYYYMMDD}.sql will be created in the /backups folder.
Example: backing up helpdesk_db on 1 January 2026 produces:
backups/helpdesk_db_20260101.sql
Back up all databases
Click the big green 💾 Backup All Databases button at the bottom of the page.
A confirmation dialog appears, then every user database is dumped into its own date-stamped file.
After the backup
A green success message shows how many databases were saved:
> Backup completed: 3 database(s) saved to /backups (20260101).
If a database fails, a red error message shows the exact mysqldump output so you can diagnose it.
⚙️ Configuration File
After you save the mysqldump path, the script creates backup_config.json in the same folder:
{
"mysqldump_path": "e:\\xampp\\mysql\\bin\\"
}
- The file is created automatically — you don't need to make it.
- Edit it manually if you want to change the path without using the UI.
- Delete it to reset to the default value.
- The file contains no credentials — only the path.
🔍 Finding `mysqldump.exe`
Not sure where it is? Common locations:
| Stack | Typical path | |---|---| | XAMPP (default) | C:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqldump.exe | | XAMPP (custom drive) | E:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqldump.exe | | WAMP | C:\wamp64\bin\mysql\mysql8.0.31\bin\mysqldump.exe | | Laragon | C:\laragon\bin\mysql\mysql-8.0.30-winx64\bin\mysqldump.exe | | MySQL Installer | C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin\mysqldump.exe | | Linux (apt/yum) | /usr/bin/mysqldump | | macOS (Homebrew) | /usr/local/bin/mysqldump or /opt/homebrew/bin/mysqldump |
Search from Command Prompt (Windows)
where /r "C:\xampp" mysqldump.exe
where /r "C:\Program Files" mysqldump.exe
where /r "E:\xampp" mysqldump.exe
Search from Terminal (Linux/macOS)
which mysqldump
find / -name mysqldump 2>/dev/null
Once you find it, paste the folder (not the file) into the settings box, e.g.:
E:\xampp\mysql\bin\
🧩 How It Works
- Connect to MySQL and run
SHOW DATABASES. - Filter out system databases:
information_schema,performance_schema,mysql,sys, andtest. - Render a table with a Backup button per row.
- On click, PHP builds a
mysqldumpcommand:
``` "e:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqldump.exe" \ --host=localhost --port=3306 \ --user=root --password=... \ --result-file="backups\helpdesk_db_20260101.sql" \ helpdesk_db ```
- Execute it via
exec(). - Check the file was created and is not empty.
- Report success or the exact error output.
The script uses --result-file instead of > redirection because it's more reliable on Windows.
📅 Restoring a Backup
From the command line
mysql -u root -p your_db < backups/your_db_20260101.sql
From phpMyAdmin
- Select the target database (create it first if needed).
- Go to the Import tab.
- Choose the
.sqlfile. - Click Go.
Restore a single table
Backups contain full CREATE TABLE + INSERT statements, so you can also restore individual tables by extracting that section of the file.
🐛 Troubleshooting
`'mysqldump' is not recognized as an internal or external command`
Cause: The path in the settings box is wrong or empty.
Fix: Enter the full folder path (with a trailing \), e.g. e:\xampp\mysql\bin\. Save and re-run. Confirm the page shows ✓ found.
Backup file is created but empty (0 bytes)
Cause: mysqldump ran but returned an error.
Fix: Test manually in Command Prompt:
"e:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqldump.exe" --user=root --password= your_db > test.sql
If it asks for a password and creates a valid file, your path is correct. Otherwise check the credentials in the PHP script.
`Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost'`
Cause: Wrong username or password.
Fix: Update $db_user and $db_pass at the top of the script.
Nothing happens when clicking Backup
Cause: exec() is disabled.
Fix: Open php.ini, find disable_functions, and remove exec from the list. Then restart your web server.
| Stack | php.ini location | |---|---| | XAMPP | C:\xampp\php\php.ini | | WAMP | Tray icon → PHP → php.ini | | Laragon | Menu → PHP → php.ini | | Linux | /etc/php/8.x/apache2/php.ini |
Cannot create `/backups` folder
Cause: PHP doesn't have write permission.
Fix:
- Windows: Right-click the script folder → Properties → Security → give
Everyonewrite access (or the user Apache runs as). - Linux:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/backup
Port is not 3306
Cause: MySQL is running on a custom port.
Fix: Change $db_port = 3306; at the top of the script.
Password contains special characters
Cause: Shell escaping issues.
Fix: escapeshellarg() handles most cases automatically. If your password contains ", \, or %, consider using a dedicated backup user with a simpler password.
Backup is very large / times out
Cause: PHP max_execution_time limit.
Fix: Add at the top of list_databases.php:
set_time_limit(0);
ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');
🔒 Security
This script gives full read access to all your databases and can write .sql dumps. Treat it accordingly.
Recommended protections
1. Add HTTP Basic Auth
Insert at the very top of list_databases.php, before any other code:
if (!isset($_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER']) ||
$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_USER'] !== 'admin' ||
$_SERVER['PHP_AUTH_PW'] !== 'change-this-strong-password') {
header('WWW-Authenticate: Basic realm="DB Backup"');
header('HTTP/1.0 401 Unauthorized');
exit('Unauthorized');
}
2. Protect the `/backups` folder
Create backups/.htaccess:
<IfModule mod_authz_core.c>
Require all denied
</IfModule>
<IfModule !mod_authz_core.c>
Order allow,deny
Deny from all
</IfModule>
For Nginx, add to your site config:
location ~ ^/backup/backups/ {
deny all;
return 403;
}
3. Use a dedicated MySQL user
Don't use root. Create a backup-only user:
CREATE USER 'backup_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strong_password';
GRANT SELECT, LOCK TABLES, SHOW VIEW, EVENT, TRIGGER ON *.* TO 'backup_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Then set $db_user = 'backup_user'; in the script.
4. Delete or move the script when done
- Remove
list_databases.phpfrom the web root once you've finished. - Or move it outside the document root and access it via CLI only.
5. Never commit credentials
Keep $db_pass out of version control. Use environment variables or an untracked config file.
6. Back up the backups
The /backups folder itself should be included in your regular off-site backup routine.