MySQL Database Backup System

Documentation and Installation Guide

📑 Table of Contents

• Overview
• System Requirements
• Installation Guide
• File Structure
• How It Works
• Configuration
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License

📋 Overview

This MySQL Database Backup System provides a simple and elegant web interface for backing up your MySQL databases. The system allows users to:

1. View all available databases on the server
2. Select a specific database to back up
3. Download the backup as a .sql file

The system uses a combination of HTML, CSS (with Tailwind CSS framework), JavaScript, and PHP to create a seamless backup experience.

💻 System Requirements

• Web server (Apache, Nginx, etc.)
• PHP 7.0 or higher
• MySQL/MariaDB server
• Modern web browser with JavaScript enabled

🚀 Installation Guide

Step 1: Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/username/mysql-backup-system.git
cd mysql-backup-system

Step 2: Configure Database Connection

Create two PHP files: get_databases.php and backup.php with the database credentials.

get_databases.php:

<?php
// Database credentials
$host = "your_host";       // e.g., localhost
$user = "your_username";   // MySQL username
$password = "your_password"; // MySQL password

// Create connection
$conn = new mysqli($host, $user, $password);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die(json_encode(["error" => "Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error]));
}

// Get databases
$result = $conn->query("SHOW DATABASES");
$databases = [];

while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    // Exclude system databases (optional)
    if (!in_array($row['Database'], ['information_schema', 'performance_schema', 'mysql', 'sys'])) {
        $databases[] = $row['Database'];
    }
}

// Return database names as JSON
header('Content-Type: application/json');
echo json_encode($databases);

$conn->close();
?>

backup.php:

<?php
// Database credentials
$host = "your_host";       // e.g., localhost
$user = "your_username";   // MySQL username
$password = "your_password"; // MySQL password

// Get selected database name
$database = $_GET['database'] ?? '';

if (empty($database)) {
    die("No database selected");
}

// Set headers for file download
header('Content-Type: application/octet-stream');
header('Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="' . $database . '_backup.sql"');

// Execute mysqldump command
$command = "mysqldump -h $host -u $user";
if (!empty($password)) {
    $command .= " -p'$password'";
}
$command .= " $database";

// Output the dump
passthru($command);
?>

Step 3: Deploy to Web Server

Upload the following files to your web server:

• index.html (the main interface)
• get_databases.php (configured with your database credentials)
• backup.php (configured with your database credentials)

Step 4: Set Proper Permissions

Make sure your web server has the necessary permissions to execute the PHP files and the mysqldump command.

chmod 755 get_databases.php backup.php

Step 5: Access the Application

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://your-server-address/path-to-application/index.html

📁 File Structure

mysql-backup-system/
├── index.html         # Main user interface
├── get_databases.php  # API to fetch available databases
├── backup.php         # API to create and download database backups
└── README.md          # Documentation

⚙️ How It Works

1. Database Discovery:

   • When the page loads, the system sends a request to get_databases.php
   • PHP connects to MySQL and retrieves a list of available databases
   • The databases are displayed in a dropdown menu

2. Backup Process:

   • User selects a database from the dropdown
   • User clicks the "Download Backup" button
   • JavaScript sends a request to backup.php with the selected database name
   • PHP executes mysqldump to create a SQL backup file
   • The backup is streamed to the browser as a download

3. User Interface:

   • The interface provides visual feedback during the backup process
   • A loading spinner appears while the backup is being created
   • Success/failure messages are displayed after the operation completes

⚡ Configuration

Database Credentials

You need to update the database credentials in both PHP files:

$host = "your_host";       // Your MySQL host (e.g., localhost)
$user = "your_username";   // Your MySQL username
$password = "your_password"; // Your MySQL password

Excluding System Databases (Optional)

In get_databases.php, you can exclude system databases by modifying the condition:

if (!in_array($row['Database'], ['information_schema', 'performance_schema', 'mysql', 'sys'])) {
    $databases[] = $row['Database'];
}

🔍 Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. Database Connection Failed

   • Verify your database credentials
   • Ensure MySQL server is running
   • Check if the MySQL user has proper permissions

2. No Databases Shown

   • Confirm MySQL user has permission to view databases
   • Check PHP error logs for detailed error messages

3. Backup Download Fails

   • Ensure PHP has permission to execute the mysqldump command
   • Verify that mysqldump is installed on the server
   • Check the server's PHP execution timeout settings

4. UI Display Issues

   • Make sure Tailwind CSS and Font Awesome CDN links are accessible
   • Clear browser cache or try a different browser

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.