For large databases, exporting via phpMyAdmin can be slow or fail due to timeouts. On GARMTECH hosting you can export reliably via SSH using mysqldump.
Before you start
- SSH access must be enabled for your hosting subscription in Plesk.
- Know your database name and database username (Plesk → Databases).
- Make sure you have enough free disk space to store the dump file.
Step 1 — Connect to hosting via SSH
ssh USERNAME@SERVER_HOSTNAME
Step 2 — Export the database with mysqldump
Export to a file in your home directory (recommended):
cd ~
mysqldump -u DBUSER -p --single-transaction --routines --triggers DBNAME > DBNAME.sql
Enter the database user password when prompted.
Optional: compress the dump
gzip -9 DBNAME.sql
This produces DBNAME.sql.gz which is faster to download and uses less space.
Step 3 — Download the dump file
You can download the file via:
- Plesk File Manager (navigate to your home directory), or
- FTP‑SSL (FTPS) to your service server hostname.
Common issues
“mysqldump: command not found”
On managed hosting this command is normally available. If it is not, use phpMyAdmin export or contact support via a ticket. (/tickets/create/step1)
“Access denied”
- Verify database username/password.
- Confirm the user has access to the database in Plesk.
The export file is huge
- Use
gzip compression.
- Consider exporting only specific tables if you do not need the full database.
After the export
- Store the dump securely. Database backups contain sensitive data.
- If you no longer need the dump on the server, delete it to free disk space.
