How to clone MySQL / MariaDB table

You can duplicate a table in MySQL or MariaDB by creating a new table with the same structure as the source table and then copying the data or rows of the source table to the new table.

You can clone or create a copy of an existing MySQL / MariaDB table manually or you could use some dedicated SQL statements to simplify the process.

1. Log in to MySQL / MariaDB.
2. Select the database of the source table.

   use mydatabase;

3. Create a table with same structure as the source / existing table.

   CREATE TABLE new_table LIKE source_table;

   This will just create a new, empty table and does not copy the followings;

   • Foreign key definitions
   • DATA DIRECTORY
   • INDEX DIRECTORY
   • Data
4. Copy the data from the source table using SELECT and INSERT statement after the new table is created.

   INSERT INTO new_table SELECT * FROM source_table;