Backing up your MySQL database or generating a copy of it to shift around is quite a simple affair thanks to the powerful mysqldump command that ships with MySQL.

To generate a backup sqldump, simply execute:

mysqldump -h localhost -u [MySQL user, e.g. root] -p[database password] -c --add-drop-table --add-locks --all --quick --lock-tables [name of the database] > sqldump.sql

Note the lack of a space between -p and the password! Obviously if you don’t have a password assigned, simply omit the -p switch.

And that is it, all done! :)

Note, restoring a database from a mysqldump is as simple as: mysql -u [MySQL user, e.g. root] -p[database password] < sqldump.sql