How to clone a MySQL or MariaDB database

Cloning a MySQL or MariaDB database is a crucial skill for database administrators, developers, and anyone working with these database management systems. Cloning a database involves creating an exact copy of an existing database, including its structure, data, and other properties. This process is useful for various purposes, such as backup and recovery, testing, and migrating data between environments. MySQL and MariaDB, being two of the most popular open-source relational database management systems, offer several tools and techniques for cloning databases.

The easiest way to clone a MySQL or MariaDB database is to use the command-line utilities provided by these systems, namely, mysqldump and mysql. mysqldump is a backup utility that allows users to generate SQL scripts containing the database structure and data. These scripts can then be imported into a new database using the mysql utility, effectively creating a clone of the original database. This method is suitable for small to medium-sized databases as it is simple, reliable, and easy to understand.

Another approach to cloning a MySQL or MariaDB database involves the use of third-party tools like phpMyAdmin, MySQL Workbench, or Navicat, which provide a graphical interface for managing databases. These tools can simplify the cloning process, especially for users who are not comfortable using the command-line interface. However, this guide will focus on the command-line approach using mysqldump and mysql, as it is more versatile and widely applicable across different platforms and environments.

1. Ensure that you have the MySQL or MariaDB command-line utilities installed on your system. You can check this by typing mysqldump –version and mysql –version in your command prompt or terminal. If these utilities are not installed, download and install them from the official MySQL or MariaDB website.
2. Open a command prompt or terminal window on your system.
3. Export the source database to a SQL script using the mysqldump utility. Run the following command, replacing <username>, <password>, <source_database> and <output_file> with the appropriate values.

   mysqldump -u <username> -p<password> <source_database> > <output_file>.sql

4. Create a new empty database that will serve as the destination for the cloned data. Log in to the MySQL or MariaDB command-line interface by running the following command and providing your username and password.

   mysql -u <username> -p<password>

5. Once logged in, create the new database using the following command, replacing <destination_database> with the desired name.

   CREATE DATABASE <destination_database>;

6. Exit the MySQL or MariaDB command-line interface by typing exit.
7. Import the SQL script generated in step 3 into the newly created destination database using the mysql utility. Run the following command, replacing <username>, <password>, <destination_database>, and <output_file> with the appropriate values.

   mysql -u <username> -p<password> <destination_database> < <output_file>.sql

8. Verify that the cloning process was successful by logging back into the MySQL or MariaDB command-line interface and inspecting the contents of the destination database. You can use the following commands to display a list of tables and their contents.

   USE <destination_database>;
   SHOW TABLES;
   SELECT * FROM <table_name>;

   Replace <destination_database> and <table_name> with the appropriate values. If the structure and data match those of the source database, the cloning process is complete.