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mariadb-backup
Silicon Valley and Ireland
What it is
mariadb-backup is a free, self-hosted open-source tool for physical backups of MariaDB data. It supports full, incremental, and partial backups, point-in-time recovery, and restoration of individual databases, tables, or partitions. Supported storage engines include InnoDB, Aria, MyISAM, and MyRocks. For InnoDB, it can make hot online backups; full backups on running systems use a nearly non-blocking method. It can also be used for Galera Cluster state snapshot transfers. The tool supports encrypted tables, including loading the server's key management and encryption plugin; encrypted tables stay encrypted in backups. Backup output can be streamed to stdout and piped to tools such as OpenSSL or gzip, and InnoDB page-compressed tables are supported. Before restoration, a backup must be prepared with the --prepare option. Safe full and incremental restores require an empty MariaDB data directory. Backup operations connect to the running server and generally require global RELOAD, PROCESS, LOCK TABLES, and BINLOG MONITOR privileges. MariaDB recommends a dedicated user with backup privileges; restores do not require a database user. It is listed for Linux and Windows.
For and against
For
- Supports full, incremental, and partial backups.
- Offers point-in-time recovery.
- Supports InnoDB, Aria, MyISAM, and MyRocks.
- Can make hot online InnoDB backups.
- Encrypted tables remain encrypted in backups.
Against
- Partial backups require many steps.
- Partial backups cannot restore directly onto existing servers containing other data.
- Full and incremental restores require an empty data directory.
- Backups must be prepared before restoration.
The verdict
mariadb-backup covers multiple backup types and MariaDB storage engines, with online backup support for InnoDB. Plan for the required preparation and restore conditions, particularly if using partial backups.
Who it suits
mariadb-backup suits MariaDB administrators who need physical backups, point-in-time recovery, or online InnoDB backups. It is designed for self-hosted use on Linux or Windows.
Plans and prices
Open-source mariadb-backup
Physical backups for MariaDB data; Linux and Windows
Read 7 Oct 2026 · mariadb.com
On the record
- Backup access
- For backup operations, the tool connects to the running server and MariaDB recommends using a dedicated user with backup privileges; restore operations do not require a database user.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Backup modes
- It supports full, incremental, and partial backups, as well as point-in-time recovery.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Backup preparation
- A backup must be prepared before restoring it so its files are made consistent for use by MariaDB Server.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Backup types
- It supports full, incremental, and partial backups, plus point-in-time recovery and restoration of individual databases, tables, and partitions.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Compression
- It supports backing up and restoring tables that use InnoDB page compression.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Encryption
- It supports backing up and restoring tables using data-at-rest encryption, and encrypted tables remain encrypted in the backup.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Encryption support
- It supports tables using Data-at-Rest Encryption and can load the server's key management and encryption plugin to back up encrypted tables.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Galera integration
- It can be used for Galera Cluster state snapshot transfers (SSTs).mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Online backups
- It can make hot online InnoDB backups and provides a nearly non-blocking method for full backups on running systems.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Online operation
- It provides a nearly non-blocking method for full backups on running systems, with hot online backups available for InnoDB.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Operational requirements
- For backup operations, the database account generally needs the global RELOAD, PROCESS, LOCK TABLES, and BINLOG MONITOR privileges.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Partial backup limitation
- Partial backups require many steps and cannot be restored directly onto existing servers containing other data.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- mariadb-backup is an open source tool for physical online backups of MariaDB tables.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Restore preparation
- Backups must be prepared with the --prepare option before restoration so the data files become point-in-time consistent.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Restore requirement
- For safe full and incremental restoration, the MariaDB data directory must be empty.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Storage engines
- It supports InnoDB, Aria, and MyISAM tables, and also supports MyRocks backups and restores.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
- Stream integrations
- It can stream backup output to stdout, allowing it to be piped to tools such as OpenSSL and gzip for encryption or compression.mariadb.com · read 7 Oct 2026
