How to Restore a Backup in MariaDB

How do I restore a MariaDB backup without data loss?

Restoring a MariaDB backup re-creates databases, tables, and data from a dump or physical backup.

Welcome to the Galaxy, Guardian!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Description

Why would you restore a MariaDB backup?

Recover lost data, migrate environments, or roll back destructive changes quickly. Backups provide a known-good snapshot of your ecommerce database.

Which backup types can you restore?

MariaDB supports logical SQL dumps (mysqldump, mariadb-dump) and physical backups (mariabackup). Choose logical for portability and physical for speed.

How do you prepare the target database?

Create the destination schema or drop conflicting objects.Ensure the target server version is equal to or newer than the backup source.

How to restore an SQL dump file?

1. Copy the dump to the target server.
2. Disable foreign key checks for faster inserts.
3. Run the mysql client with the dump file.

Step-by-step SQL dump restore

mysql -u root -p --init-command="SET FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=0;" < ecommerce_20240601.sql

How to restore a physical backup with mariabackup?

1. Prepare the backup: mariabackup --prepare --target-dir=/backups/full.
2. Stop MariaDB.
3. Copy files to /var/lib/mysql.
4.Fix permissions and start the service.

What does a restored database look like?

All tables—Customers, Orders, Products, and OrderItems—reappear with their data and indexes intact.

Best practices for safe restores

Restore to a staging server first, keep multiple backup generations, and verify row counts with SELECT COUNT(*) on critical tables.

Common mistakes to avoid

Skipping --single-transaction in large dumps causes locking; restoring to an older server version breaks JSON columns.

What if the restore fails?

Check error logs, ensure disk space, and verify compatible character sets.Re-run only failed sections if using logical dumps.

Why How to Restore a Backup in MariaDB is important

How to Restore a Backup in MariaDB Example Usage


-- Verify restored data in the ecommerce database
SELECT c.name,
       COUNT(o.id) AS total_orders,
       SUM(o.total_amount) AS lifetime_value
FROM Customers c
LEFT JOIN Orders o ON o.customer_id = c.id
GROUP BY c.name
ORDER BY lifetime_value DESC;

How to Restore a Backup in MariaDB Syntax


-- Logical dump restore
mysql -u <user> -p <db_name> < backup_file.sql

-- Full ecommerce example
a) Dump created earlier:
   mysqldump -u root -p --single-transaction ecommerce > ecommerce.sql
b) Restore on new server:
   mysql -u root -p ecommerce < ecommerce.sql

-- Physical restore with mariabackup
mariabackup --prepare --target-dir=/backups/full
systemctl stop mariadb
rsync -av /backups/full/ /var/lib/mysql/
chown -R mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql
systemctl start mariadb

Common Mistakes

Mistake: Restoring a dump without disabling foreign key checks. Why it’s wrong: Inserts fail when child tables reference missing parents. Fix: Use SET FOREIGN_KEY_CHECKS=0; before import and re-enable after.
Mistake: Overwriting live data without testing. Why it’s wrong: Corrupt or outdated backups can destroy production data. Fix: Restore to staging first, run validation queries, then migrate.