What is Dumpsql?

Dumpsql is an open‑source command‑line tool designed to create full or partial database dumps in a format that can be restored by mysql or mysqlimport. It focuses on speed, reliability, and flexibility, making it ideal for production environments, CI/CD pipelines, and automated backup scripts.

Why Use Dumpsql?

• Fast execution even on tables with millions of rows.
• Supports --incremental mode for incremental backups.
• Built‑in gzip and AES encryption for secure storage.
• Simple configuration via a YAML file or command‑line flags.
• Cross‑platform: works on Linux, macOS, Windows.

Key Features

• Incremental Backups – Only changes since the last dump are captured.
• Compression & Encryption – --compress gzip and --encrypt aes256 options.
• Support for --tables, --ignore-tables, and --where clauses.
• Automatic retry logic for transient network failures.
• JSON and YAML output for integration with monitoring tools.

Installation & Setup

1. Download the latest release from GitHub.
2. Extract the archive and move dumpsql to /usr/local/bin (Linux/macOS) or add it to PATH (Windows).
3. Create a configuration file ~/.dumpsql.yaml (optional) with default settings.
4. Verify installation: dumpsql --version.

How to Dump a Database with Dumpsql

1. Open a terminal and run:

   dumpsql --user=root --password=secret --host=localhost --database=mydb --output=/backups/mydb.sql.gz --compress gzip

2. For an incremental dump:

   dumpsql --incremental --output=/backups/mydb_inc_$(date +%F).sql.gz

3. To dump specific tables:

   dumpsql --tables=users,orders --output=users_orders.sql.gz

4. Verify the dump by restoring it to a test environment:

   mysql -u root -p testdb < users_orders.sql.gz

Advanced Options

• --threads N – Parallelize dumps across N threads.
• --skip-constraints – Disable foreign key checks during restore.
• --exclude-columns="password,ssn" – Omit sensitive columns.
• --log-level=debug – Verbose logging for troubleshooting.
• Environment variables: DUMPSQL_HOST, DUMPSQL_USER, etc.

Comparison with Other SQL Dump Tools