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One of the single most critical things that you should have is a backup of your database. There are so many things that can go wrong such as a server crashing or a hacker getting into your account. When this happens all of your hard work and dedication is put on the line. Can you imagine if you had worked for a 3 months straight all to lose it in a day?

You may be surprised in fact that most people don’t actually even have a backup of their database. This is something extremely easy to do if your web hosting provider uses phpMyAdmin which most do.

1. Logging into phpMyAdmin

The first thing that you need to do is find the address to your phpmyAdmin database and log in. Most likely if you look around in your web host’s control panel you will find a link to phpMyAdmin. If you are using cPanel you can find the link under the Databases section in the main menu. Once you are logged in move on to the next step.

2. Selecting a Database to Backup

After logging in you will come across the main window of phpMyAdmin. Depending upon your host’s limitations there will be various options for you. Below is an image of what you will see if you are using HostGator as your web host.

On the left hand side in the blue section you will notice a listing of the databases contained within phpMyAdmin. If you know the name of your database go ahead and select it. If not, get in contact with your web host and they should be able to provide you with the answer.

3. The Database Tables Screen

Once you have selected your database you will be taken to that database’s main screen. Here you will find a listing of all the tables and a navigation bar located across the top of the tables. We are going to be focusing our attention to the navigation bar.

4. Exporting the Database File

Viewing the navigation bar, you want to click on the Export button. This will take you to a window that allows you to back up your database.

Notice the listing of the tables inside of your database directly under the Export section. To ensure that you are backing up all tables, click Select All. The entire list of names should become highlighted like in the above image. Next is the format that you would like to save your database back up to. Choose SQL so that you can upload your file back into your database or move it to another server. Don’t worry about all of the other options that are available, the defaults should be just fine for what we are doing.

At the bottom of the above image you will notice a smaller table. At the top left hand side is a checkbox with Save as file next to it. Make sure you click this checkbox so that you can download the file to your computer, otherwise it will just send the file to a directory on your actual server. You can give the file a custom name if you choose as well as the type of compression. All that compression will do is make the file smaller in size which if you have a big database is recommended.

Keep remember template checked and click Go. You will get a popup window asking where you would like to save your database back up.

How Often Should You Backup Your Database?

That is honestly up to you and how often your site is updated. If your site is being frequently updated a few times a week you could choose to update after every other update. Although if anything you should backup after every update in case something does happen. You should also backup your database before you attempt to change anything in it. That way if something does happen you will have a fresh backup and all that you have to do is upload into phpMyAdmin again.