Import and export a database

Sooner or later you need to move data: bring a WordPress site over from another host, or download a copy before a big change. This guide shows the ways that work on FiniteHost today.

What is and is not available#

Be clear on this first, because it shapes every method below:

• There is no phpMyAdmin and no other database tool built into the panel.
• There is no remote database access. Databases accept connections only from your own sites and Python apps through localhost, so desktop tools such as MySQL Workbench, HeidiSQL or the mysql command on your computer cannot connect.
• There is no SSH shell, so you cannot run mysqldump or mysql on the server yourself.

What works is a tool that runs on your website, because your website can reach the database. You have three options.

Before you start#

• Create the empty database on FiniteHost first and keep its name, user and password: see Create and connect to a database.
• Check the total fits your plan's database size (250 MB on Spark, 1 GB on Starter, 3 GB on Pro, 8 GB on Business, 20 GB on Scale). Over the limit, the database turns read-only partway through the import.
• On your old host, export the database as an .sql file, ideally compressed as .sql.gz or .zip. Most control panels (cPanel, Plesk, Hostinger hPanel) have an export button in their phpMyAdmin.

Two server limits matter for any upload through your website:

• A single upload can be at most 64 MB. Larger requests are refused before they reach PHP.
• A PHP request is stopped after 120 seconds. Very large imports must be split, or done by a tool that works in steps.

Option 1: WordPress plugins#

For WordPress, a migration plugin is the easiest route because it moves files and database together and rewrites your old domain to the new one.

1. Install WordPress on FiniteHost first, as in Install WordPress, using the new database.
2. Install the same migration plugin on the old site and the new one (for example All-in-One WP Migration, Duplicator or UpdraftPlus).
3. Export on the old site and download the backup file.
4. Import on the new site. If the file is bigger than 64 MB, use the plugin's option to split the backup, or upload the backup file over SFTP into the folder the plugin documents, then import from there.
5. Sign in again with the old site's admin account, and check pages, images and links.

To export, the same plugins create a downloadable backup at any time.

Option 2: Adminer, for a few minutes#

Adminer is a database manager in a single PHP file. You upload it, use it, and delete it.

Import with Adminer#

1. Download Adminer (the MySQL-only English version is enough) from adminer.org.
2. Rename the file to something hard to guess, for example db-7f3k9q2x.php.
3. Upload it over SFTP into /sites/acme.in/public.
4. Open it in your browser: https://acme.in/db-7f3k9q2x.php.
5. Sign in with System MySQL, Server localhost, and your database's user name, password and name.
6. Click Import, choose your .sql.gz file (under 64 MB) and click Execute.
7. Check the tables in the left-hand list, then delete the Adminer file over SFTP.

If the import stops with a timeout, split the dump into several smaller files, for example one per table, and import them one by one.

Export with Adminer#

1. Upload and open Adminer as in steps 1 to 5 above.
2. Click Export.
3. Choose Output gzip and Format SQL, keep all tables ticked, and click Export.
4. Save the file to your computer, then delete the Adminer file over SFTP.

Option 3: Ask support#

For a database too large for the methods above, or if an import keeps failing, email support@finitehost.com from your account's email address. Include your subscription ID, the target database name, and the size of the dump. Do not send passwords or the dump itself by email: we will tell you how to hand the file over, for example by uploading it over SFTP to your /tmp folder.

Troubleshooting#

• 502 Bad Gateway or a blank page partway through: the request hit the 120-second limit. Use smaller files or a plugin that imports in steps.
• 413 Request Entity Too Large: the file is over 64 MB. Compress it or split it.
• Unknown collation utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci: the dump came from MySQL 8. Replace utf8mb4_0900_ai_ci with utf8mb4_unicode_ci in the .sql file before importing.
• Import stops halfway with "command denied": the database reached its size limit and became read-only. See Database limits and passwords.
• Access denied for user: the user name is your full database name with the subscription ID in front.

What's next#

• Database limits and passwords.
• Backups and restore: FiniteHost's nightly copies.
• Website security.