iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Need a server to try this on? Antihost offers Linux VPS plans with NVMe storage, full root access and a 14-day free trial.
Percona XtraBackup creates a physical backup while a supported MySQL-compatible server stays available for normal work. The safe workflow is check compatibility, run the backup, prepare it, restore to a stopped server with an empty data directory, fix ownership, and validate the recovered application. Skipping the prepare phase or restoring into a live, non-empty data directory can leave you with an unusable recovery.
What a hot XtraBackup does
Percona XtraBackup is an open-source hot backup utility for MySQL-based servers. It copies the server’s physical data files while a log-copying thread reads transactional log records needed to make those files consistent. The source instance remains online during the copy, so the operation can be performed during a maintenance window without first shutting down MySQL.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
This is a physical backup rather than a SQL dump. It preserves database files in a form that can be prepared and placed into another compatible data directory. Physical recovery is generally faster than replaying a large logical dump, but it has stricter version, storage-engine, filesystem, and restore-layout requirements.
“Hot” describes source availability, not zero operational impact. MySQL continues serving queries, but the backup consumes disk reads, destination writes, CPU for compression or encryption, and network bandwidth when streamed off-host. Measure those effects in your environment and schedule the copy away from the busiest workload when possible.
#1 Best Overall
- Powerful Turbo Fan:CAGIWIRU Electric Air Duster have reached speed up to 130000RPM,Can efficient remove dust and debris.With LED light and Three Adjustable Speed to meet with different cleaning tasks.
- With Attached USB C Fasting Charging cable.Charing 3 hours,Enjoy up to 240 minutes of use on the lowest setting, For third speed can use for 25mins.with four charging options to meet with your needs.
- Wide Application:Upgraded attached 5 different nozzles,making it suitable for a variety of scenes, such as car,pet, pc, keyboards, and other electronic devices. It also serves for office and home clean duster.
- Handy Design & Portable:Cordless air duster electric nozzle is Light weight and small size, design and comfortable to hold and space saving, convenient to carry around. You can put it in your room or inside the car without taking up space.
- Warranty & Support: Our Electric air duster comes with 5 years warranty and 24/7 customer service. During this period, if you have any questions,pls kindly feel free to contact us.
Check compatibility before installing or running it
Compatibility is a release-specific gate. The current Percona XtraBackup 8.4 documentation supports MySQL Server, Percona Server for MySQL, and Percona XtraDB Cluster, and lists InnoDB, XtraDB, MyISAM, and MyRocks among the supported engines. XtraBackup 8.4 does not support servers running MySQL 8.0 or MySQL 9.x; the documentation requires databases created with the 8.4 series or later. Servers on another major or minor release need the XtraBackup documentation and package that match that release.
Record the exact server and XtraBackup versions before creating a backup. Do not infer compatibility from the fact that both products are called “MySQL.” A version mismatch can prevent preparation or startup on the restore host. Check the restore host as well as the source: installing a different package there can turn a good backup into an unusable recovery attempt.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsPre-flight requirements
- Install the XtraBackup release that matches the server family and database version.
- Run the operation as root or through
sudo, with permission to read the MySQL data files and write the destination. - Provide a target filesystem with enough capacity for the selected full, incremental, compressed, or streamed format, plus working space used while preparing and restoring.
- Configure a backup account with the privileges required by your XtraBackup release. Keep the credential in a protected login configuration where possible instead of placing a real password in shell history.
- Use a destination outside the source host’s failure domain when the backup is intended for disaster recovery. A second directory on the same disk does not protect against disk, host, or site loss.
- Plan where command output, exit status, backup metadata, and log-sequence information will be recorded. An apparently complete directory is not proof that the command succeeded.
- Confirm that the operating system can mount the destination consistently after a reboot and that the account used for restore can create files in the configured data directory.
Plan the backup layout and retention
Give every run its own directory containing the run date, time, and backup type. Separate full, incremental, compressed, and encrypted artifacts so an operator cannot accidentally apply an incremental to the wrong base. Keep a small manifest with the source identity, software versions, start and finish times, LSN information, destination, checksum results, and retention date.
Retention must cover a complete recovery path, not just the newest directory. For an incremental strategy, that means retaining the base full backup and every incremental required after it. Deleting an intermediate increment because a later one exists can break the entire chain. Keep at least one complete chain in a separate failure domain and document who may expire it.
Decide in advance whether the local copy is merely a staging copy or a recovery copy. If the host, volume, or site fails, a second directory on that same host is unavailable too. Off-host or off-site storage, tested retrieval, and separately protected keys are part of the design rather than optional enhancements.
Create a hot full backup
Use a new, empty, run-specific directory for every backup. The documented command pattern is:
xtrabackup --backup --target-dir=/data/backups/
--user=backup --password='REDACTED'--backup selects backup mode and --target-dir names the destination. XtraBackup does not overwrite files already in that directory, so an existing target must be empty. In production, use a path such as /data/backups/2026-10-15T020000Z-full rather than a shared, ambiguous directory.
During the copy, XtraBackup reads data files while a separate thread scans the transactional log. If the server generates redo faster than that thread can read it, log records may be overwritten before they are copied and the backup can fail. Monitor the live output, capture the exit code, and alert on failure; do not mark a run successful merely because files appeared in the target directory.
Rank #2
- Screen Cleaner is Your Screen’s New Bestfriend! - EVEO is proud to present a screen cleaner that’s perfectly suited for your TV. Meet your new screen cleaner, computer screen cleaner, laptop cleaner, iPad cleaner, Macbook,tv cleaner or any other electronic device. Our screen cleaner spray and wipe along with the included plush microfiber cloth, easily removes dust, fingerprints & other smudges on the screen’s surface. Clean effectively for a streak-free screen
- Gentle on your Screens - Our screen cleaner spray and wipes is compatible to be used even for the most sensitive LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens in proper use. Be at ease knowing that this product is compatible with all the major brands: LG, SONY, Samsung, Sharp, iPad, iPhone, Android screens, Kindle, PC monitors - we’ve got you covered! Can be used as LCD screen cleaner, tv cleaner, smart tv screen cleaner, and more
- Premium Super Soft Plush Microfiber Cloth - Included in this efficient screen cleaning kit. This screen cleaner spray and wipe has our signature plush microfiber cloth specially designed to comply with screens and monitors and leave them streak-free. Has been shown to effectively absorbs stubborn stains, zero streaks, and no fiber shedding. Always use this together with our screen cleaner for the best results
- Easy-to-Use Screen Cleaner Kit + microfiber cleaning cloth - The EVEO Screen Cleaning Kit will easily be your new favorite tool when it comes to taking care of the things you love most, quick and easy solution for a streak-free screen. Simply screw on the sprayer gun on the screen cleaner bottle. Spray the cleaning liquid onto the microfiber cloth, then wipe the screen until desired cleanliness & shine is achieved.
- Quality Screen Care Kit Worth Purchasing - Enjoy a convenient Screen Cleaner anytime, anywhere you need it. Your satisfaction is our top priority. We stand behind the quality of our products and that’s why, you shouldn’t be worrying at all. We manufacture the Best Screen Cleaner. and can be used for laptop cleaning kit, laptop screen cleaner, tv screen cleaner for smart tv. MacBook screen cleaner, monitor cleaner or screen cleaner spray for electronic devices with microfiber cleaning cloth
Keep the source online, but account for the backup’s impact on I/O, CPU, and storage bandwidth. Schedule large copies so they do not compete with the busiest workload, and verify that the destination has sufficient free space throughout the run. A full backup may also need temporary capacity during preparation, extraction, or encryption, so sizing only for the final directory is risky.
Operational records to retain
- The exact XtraBackup and server versions.
- Start and finish times, command output, and process exit status.
- The backup directory name and whether it is full, incremental, compressed, encrypted, or streamed.
- LSN and other metadata needed to assemble an incremental chain.
- The destination’s checksum or integrity result, when your storage process provides one.
- The identity of the operator or automation job and any warnings that appeared during the run.
Prepare the copied files before restoring
A freshly copied directory is not immediately restorable. Files were read at different moments, so the backup must undergo crash recovery before it represents one consistent instant. Run:
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
xtrabackup --prepare --target-dir=/data/backups/The prepare phase applies redo and performs crash recovery. It can run on a separate utility host, so the production database host does not need to perform this CPU- and I/O-intensive step. Ensure that the utility host has enough free space, the matching XtraBackup release, and access to the complete backup directory.
Do not casually interrupt preparation. Percona warns that stopping the process can corrupt the data files and make the backup unusable. Allow the command to finish and retain its output with the backup record. If an interruption occurs, treat that copy as suspect and return to a known-good backup according to your recovery procedure instead of guessing that a second prepare will repair it.
Preparing a base for incrementals
If the full backup will receive incremental backups, prepare the base with --apply-log-only:
xtrabackup --prepare --apply-log-only --target-dir=/data/backups/Apply each incremental in LSN order to that base, using the procedure and paths documented for your XtraBackup release. Only after the final incremental has been applied should you run a normal final prepare. That last pass rolls back uncommitted transactions and leaves the assembled backup in the restore-ready state.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Keep the base and every required incremental together under controlled retention. Losing one link in the sequence can make later increments unusable even when the original full backup is intact. Record which files have already been applied so an operator does not accidentally apply one twice during an incident.
Restore with copy-back
Restoration replaces a MySQL data directory with the prepared physical files. The target MySQL instance must be stopped, and its data directory must be empty. Perform the destructive deletion only after confirming the target host, backup path, and recovery authorization. Preserve a separate copy of the backup until validation is complete.
Rank #3
- 【Large size】：Measuring 800 x 300 mm/ 31. 5×12 inches, which is wider and taller than others. Large mouse pad can perfectly fit your keyboard and mouse of any size, and there is also ample space for peripherals such as phones, tablets, etc.
- 【LED backlight mouse pad】：Blade Hawks RGB mouse pad provides 7 static modes and 7 dynamic modes will give you the options you are looking for. Power-off memory function remembers the last lighting mode you selected. The super glow fiber Chroma will give you a colorful gaming setup that you want.
- 【Anti-slip rubber base】：Made from Natural rubber, this gaming mousepad will firmly grip your desktop, allowing you to enjoy the ultimate precision in the games you are most passionate about. It also comes with a texture that enhances this ability even further.
- 【Smooth and waterproof surface】: Micro-textured cloth surface, for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth movement. When liquid splashes on the gaming mouse pad, it forms water droplets and slides down. Will not delay your work or gameplay.
- 【Plug and play】: This mouse and keyboard pad is powered by USB, plug and play, no driver required. One button control light modes. Press one time to change the lighting mode, press twice to change the brightness, press and hold about 3 seconds turn ON/OFF.
systemctl stop mysql
rm -rf /var/lib/mysql/*
xtrabackup --copy-back
--target-dir=/data/backups/
--datadir=/var/lib/mysql/
chown -R mysql:mysql /var/lib/mysql
systemctl start mysql--copy-back leaves the prepared backup in place and copies its files into the configured data directory. A root-run restore commonly creates root-owned files; MySQL normally runs as the mysql user, so correct ownership before startup. If your distribution uses a different service name or data path, substitute those values after verifying them rather than copying this example unchanged.
Check mounts, symbolic links, mandatory access-control policies, and filesystem capacity before starting the service. A correct ownership change cannot compensate for a data directory mounted read-only or a path that differs from the server configuration.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Using move-back instead
--move-back moves files instead of copying them. It can reduce copying time and temporary space, but it removes the backup copy from its original location. Use it only when that loss is deliberate and another verified copy exists. In a first restore drill, --copy-back is usually easier to audit because the prepared source remains available for another attempt.
Confirm that the server and application recovered
After starting MySQL, inspect the service and database logs for the normal “ready for connections” message. Then test the data that matters to the application:
- Connect with an administrative client and confirm the expected schemas and tables exist.
- Check representative row counts and key constraints against known values.
- Run representative read queries, including queries against the largest or most important tables.
- Verify application login, writes, background jobs, and any dependent services in an isolated recovery environment before directing production traffic to the restored instance.
- Measure how long the complete retrieval, prepare, copy-back, startup, and validation sequence takes.
A successful file copy proves only that files were copied. A restore drill should prove that the database starts and that application data is usable within your recovery objectives. Record failures and update the runbook while the drill is still fresh.
Build an off-site, encrypted backup path
The XtraBackup toolchain includes xbstream for streaming, xbcrypt for encryption, and xbcloud for transfers to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, or MinIO. A practical disaster-recovery flow is:
- Create a full or incremental backup in a controlled local staging area.
- Stream it with
xbstream; addxbcryptwhen the backup must be encrypted before leaving the host. - Upload the resulting objects with
xbcloudor your approved transfer process to storage in a separate failure domain. - Record object names, checksums, retention, and the metadata needed to rebuild an incremental chain.
- During a restore drill, download the objects, recover the encryption key from its separate key-management location, decrypt and extract the stream, then prepare and restore it on a clean target.
Store encryption keys separately from backup objects. Test retrieval of both the objects and key material; an encrypted backup whose key cannot be recovered is not a usable backup. Limit object-store permissions so the backup job can write and the restore role can read, without granting unnecessary administrative access.
Incremental backups: less copying, more discipline
An incremental copies changes since a base backup, reducing the amount of data transferred after the full. The trade-off is chain management: the base full and every required incremental must be retained, ordered by their LSN ranges, and periodically tested together. Prepare the base with --apply-log-only, apply each incremental in sequence, and perform the final normal prepare only after the last one.
Rank #4
- 【Softer and More Comfortable】Vaydeer wrist rest has unique diamond pattern, which is the combination of softness and aesthetics. The materials of wrist rest are improved into higher quality memory foam and covered with silky smooth lycra. The computer wrist rest makes you as comfortable and cushiony as like rest your wrists on clouds.
- 【Ergonomic Wrist Saver】The wrist rests for keyboard and mouse comes with a 17.32×3.15×0.83 inch keyboard wrist pad and a 5.94×3.15×0.83 inch mouse wrist support. Based on ergonomic design, the unique concave shape is the perfect fit for your wrist joints. The wrist rest pad fits most computer keyboards and laptops, improve hand and wrist posture, release your wrist and arm stress.
- 【Non-Slip Rubber Bottom】Featuring an anti-skid silicone base on the bottom, this wrist keyboard support stays firmly in place on your desk, preventing the padding from sliding around, ensuring stable and consistent wrist support during extended computer sessions.
- 【Better Experience & Pain Relief】Our keyboard arm rest is beneficial to alleviate the soreness caused by direct contact and friction between your arm and a hard desk surface, reducing the risk of wrist fatigue or carpal tunnel. The soft texture of memory foam can evenly distribute the pressure around your wrists and provide good support with just enough give.
- 【Helpful in Multiple Scenarios】Whether you're working, studying, writing, typing, gaming, this keyboard and mouse rest combo is an essential accessory to add comfort and support to your hands and wrists. It’s also a great gift for men, women, family, friend, coworker, gamer, teacher, etc.
Use a retention policy that keeps at least one complete, independently restorable chain. Document which incrementals belong to each base, and do not delete an intermediate file simply because a newer incremental exists. When a new full backup is created, clearly mark which older chain remains available for point-in-time recovery and when it may expire.
Partial backups have different restore rules
Partial backups are not interchangeable with full physical backups. They require innodb_file_per_table and should be restored by importing the selected tables. Percona states that partial backups must not be restored with --copy-back or --move-back, and they must not be used as the base for incremental backups.
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOutdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchChoose a partial backup only when table-level recovery is the actual requirement. For a complete server replacement or disaster-recovery seed, use a full backup and follow the normal prepare and copy-back workflow. Document the selected tables and their dependencies; restoring a table without required related data may produce an application that starts but behaves incorrectly.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot common failure points
The target directory is not empty
XtraBackup refuses to overwrite existing files. Move or remove the old target only after confirming it is not the only surviving copy, then recreate an empty, run-specific directory.
The backup fails while copying logs
Review the command output and server write workload. A high write rate can overwrite log records before the log-copying thread reads them. Retry with adequate destination throughput and scheduling headroom, and alert rather than silently accepting the failed directory.
Preparation was interrupted
Do not assume the directory is safe to restore. An interrupted prepare can corrupt data files. Preserve the failed copy for diagnosis and restart from a known-good backup or a fresh copy according to your recovery procedure.
MySQL will not start after copy-back
First verify that the instance was stopped during replacement, the target directory was empty, and all files are owned by the account used by MySQL. Check the service and database error logs for path, permission, version, and storage-engine errors before attempting another start.
An incremental chain will not prepare
Check that the base was prepared with --apply-log-only, that every incremental is present, and that the files were applied in their documented LSN order. A missing or misordered incremental requires returning to the last known-good base or chain.
Best Value
- 【No Drill Mounted】Cable management tray can be assembled in as little as 3 minutes or less-simply. Side clips easily clampe the edge of desk, pass through the holes on the sides, and secure excess cables with baskets. Desk cable management supports inward or outward installation to meet your needs in different scenarios, and provides you with great convenience when collecting and organizing wires.
- 【Rubber Pad Protects Desk】Wire organizer under desk built-in soft rubber pads on the clamp protect your desk from scratches, so you will not damage your furniture or office.
- 【Sturdy and Beautiful】Cord management under desk is made of high-quality carbon steel and holds about 15 lbs. The wire basket has 2 holes on each side of the tray to enable your cables to pass freely. Cable baskets are suitable for desk thickness use from 0.4" to 2.4".
- 【Space Saving & Keep Organized】Desk cable management tray holds all your power cords, outlet strips, USB hubs and computer transformers hidden from your feet, and the data cables will not enter the vacuum cleaner to keep your desk clean and tidy. Desk wire organizer is also suitable for use in the kitchen and outdoors.
- 【Reduce Safety Risks】Cable tray under desk keeps all plugs away from your kids, no more worry about tripping. Using 2 holes wire tray saves extra space, helps you easily cabling and wire protection. The mesh design is not easy to accumulate dust, but avoids safety accidents caused by messy wires.
The off-site copy cannot be restored
Verify object retrieval, decryption-key access, stream extraction, and checksums separately. A transfer that completed without an error can still be unusable if the key, manifest, or one incremental object is missing.
How XtraBackup compares with other backup approaches
| Decision axis | Physical XtraBackup | Logical dump | Managed backup service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recovery form | Prepared physical data files | SQL or logical object definitions and rows | Provider-specific snapshots, files, or exports |
| Source availability | Designed to keep a supported source available during the copy | Depends on dump tool and table/storage-engine behavior | Depends on the service’s implementation and plan |
| Restore characteristics | Can be faster than replaying a large logical dump, but requires compatible versions and an empty target directory | Portable at the SQL layer, but reconstruction can take substantial time | Can simplify orchestration, with provider and network dependencies |
| Incrementals | Supported, with base and LSN-ordered chain management | Usually requires repeated logical exports or separate change capture | Depends on the provider |
| Streaming and encryption | xbstream, xbcrypt, and xbcloud are available |
Depends on the dump and storage pipeline | Depends on the provider |
| Operational burden | Requires version matching, prepare, ownership correction, restore drills, and chain testing | Requires dump scheduling, storage, and replay testing | Moves some operations to the provider but adds service and access dependencies |
There is no universal throughput or restore-duration number for this workflow. The approximately 15–20 minute basic quickstart and 30–40 minute Docker Compose tutorial timings in the current documentation are learning estimates, not production performance guarantees. Production cost is driven by storage capacity, transfer and object-storage charges, compute used for preparation, and the staff time required to test restores. Percona commercial support is an option for organizations that need help operating the open-source solution, but confirm current terms and availability directly with Percona.
A restore-tested operating checklist
- Confirm that the XtraBackup release matches the server family and database version.
- Verify credentials, file permissions, free space, and an empty destination directory.
- Run the full or incremental backup and retain output, exit status, metadata, and LSN information.
- Prepare the backup without interrupting the process; use
--apply-log-onlyfor a base that will receive incrementals. - Keep an off-host or off-site copy, with encryption keys stored separately.
- Restore regularly on an isolated host or container, not only when a disaster occurs.
- Check startup logs, schemas, row counts, representative queries, and application behavior.
- Measure the drill against the recovery-time and recovery-point objectives your service requires, then correct any gap in storage, permissions, chain retention, or staffing.
Bottom line
For a supported MySQL-compatible release, XtraBackup provides a practical hot physical-backup workflow: copy while the source remains available, prepare the files, restore only to a stopped server with an empty data directory, correct ownership, and validate the application. Version compatibility—especially the XtraBackup 8.4 restriction against MySQL 8.0 and 9.x—must be checked first. Treat incremental chains, partial backups, encryption keys, and restore drills as part of the backup design rather than optional extras.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I back up MySQL without downtime using Percona XtraBackup?
Yes, a supported MySQL-compatible source remains available while XtraBackup copies physical files and transactional log information. The copy still uses I/O, CPU, storage, and possibly network bandwidth, so monitor workload impact.
Why must an XtraBackup be prepared before restore?
Data files are copied at different moments. The prepare phase applies redo and performs crash recovery so the files represent a consistent instant suitable for restore.
Can I prepare the backup on another server?
Yes. Percona documents running prepare on a utility host rather than the originating or restore server, provided it has the matching XtraBackup release, access to the files, and adequate resources.
Recommended Free Tools
What is the correct copy-back sequence?
Stop MySQL, make the target data directory empty, run xtrabackup --copy-back against the prepared backup, change ownership to the MySQL service account, start MySQL, and validate logs and application data.
Can I use --move-back instead of --copy-back?
Yes, but move-back removes the prepared backup from its original location. Use it only when that trade-off is deliberate and another verified copy exists.
Can a partial backup be restored with copy-back or used as an incremental base?
No. Partial backups require innodb_file_per_table, should be restored by importing selected tables, and must not be restored with --copy-back or --move-back. They also cannot seed an incremental chain.
Does XtraBackup 8.4 support MySQL 8.0 or 9.x?
No. The 8.4 documentation says those server versions are unsupported and requires databases created with the 8.4 series or later. Use the XtraBackup release documentation that matches an older or different server version.
How do I know a backup is actually usable?
Perform a restore drill on an isolated host or container. Confirm that MySQL starts, logs show it is ready for connections, expected schemas and row counts exist, representative queries work, and the application can perform its important operations.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
