# mariadb-dump vs mysqldump: modern backup commands and wildcard database dumps

Source: https://srvscripts.com/guides/mariadb-dump-vs-mysqldump/
Updated: 2026-10-03
Publisher: srvScripts (https://srvscripts.com/)

Since MariaDB 10.4 the canonical client commands have carried the `mariadb-` prefix, with the old `mysql*` names kept as symlinks. Most hosting backup scripts still call `mysqldump`, and that works right up until a package update or a switch to a different distribution’s packaging drops the symlink. The 12.x series also added features that only exist under the new name. This guide updates the backup recipe, explains the options that matter on a hosting server, and covers the wildcard database dumps that make per-customer backups simpler.

In short: On MariaDB, mysqldump is only a symlink to mariadb-dump, so scripts should call mariadb-dump directly (falling back to mysqldump on MySQL) and always pass –single-transaction –routines –events –triggers –hex-blob –default-character-set=utf8mb4.

**Short answer:** On MariaDB, `mysqldump` is only a symlink to `mariadb-dump`, so scripts should call `mariadb-dump` directly (falling back to `mysqldump` on MySQL) and always pass `--single-transaction --routines --events --triggers --hex-blob --default-character-set=utf8mb4`. MariaDB 12.1 and later add `mariadb-dump -L 'prefix_%'` to dump every database matching a `LIKE` pattern in one command, which suits per-account backups on cPanel. A dump is only a backup once its last line reads `Dump completed` and it has been restored into a scratch database.

## Check what your server actually provides

```
which mariadb-dump mysqldump
ls -la $(which mysqldump)
mariadb-dump --version
```

On a MariaDB server, `mysqldump` should be a symlink to `mariadb-dump`. On a MySQL server, `mariadb-dump` will not exist at all. Scripts that need to run on both should test for the binary and fall back:

```
DUMP=$(command -v mariadb-dump || command -v mysqldump)
```

The remaining commands in this guide use `mariadb-dump`, but everything except the wildcard option applies to `mysqldump` on MySQL 8.x as well.

## The options a hosting backup should always use

The defaults are tuned for a quick ad hoc export, not for a consistent backup of a busy server. A full-server dump that is safe to restore looks like this:

```
mariadb-dump --all-databases \
  --single-transaction \
  --routines --events --triggers \
  --flush-privileges \
  --hex-blob \
  --max-allowed-packet=1G \
  --default-character-set=utf8mb4 \
  | gzip -1 > /backup/all-$(date +%F-%H%M).sql.gz
```

`--single-transaction` opens a consistent snapshot for InnoDB tables so the dump reflects one point in time without locking; it does nothing for MyISAM or Aria, which are dumped table by table with a brief read lock. `--routines`, `--events` and `--triggers` are off by default and their absence is the most common reason a “complete” restore is missing stored procedures. `--hex-blob` avoids encoding problems with binary columns. `--flush-privileges` adds a statement at the end so restored grants take effect.

For a server whose tables are all InnoDB, add `--skip-lock-tables` explicitly to make the intent obvious to the next person. For a server with large MyISAM tables where even brief locks are a problem, dump during low traffic or move the tables to InnoDB, which is the better answer.

## Per-database and per-customer dumps

Restoring one customer from a 200 GB all-databases dump is slow and error-prone. Dump per database as well:

```
for db in $(mariadb -N -e "SHOW DATABASES" | grep -vE '^(information_schema|performance_schema|mysql|sys)$'); do
  mariadb-dump --single-transaction --routines --events --triggers --hex-blob "$db" | gzip -1 > "/backup/db/$db-$(date +%F).sql.gz"
done
```

On a cPanel server database names are prefixed with the account name, so a customer’s set is `username_*`. That is where the 12.1 wildcard option helps.

## Wildcard database selection in 12.1 and later

`mariadb-dump -L` (long form `--databases-list` in some builds; check `mariadb-dump --help | grep -i wildcard` for your exact version) accepts patterns rather than explicit names, so a single command dumps every database belonging to one account:

```
mariadb-dump -L 'shopuser_%' --single-transaction --routines --events --triggers --hex-blob | gzip -1 > /backup/accounts/shopuser-$(date +%F).sql.gz
```

The pattern uses SQL `LIKE` syntax, so `%` is the wildcard and `_` matches a single character; escape a literal underscore as `\_` if the prefix contains one and you want an exact match. The output includes `CREATE DATABASE` and `USE` statements for each matched database, the same as `--databases`, so the restore is a single `mariadb < file`. On servers below 12.1 the flag is unknown and the loop above remains the way to do it.

## Speed and size

Compression is usually the bottleneck. `gzip -1` is a reasonable default; `zstd -3` is faster and smaller if it is installed, and `pigz` uses multiple cores:

```
mariadb-dump --all-databases --single-transaction --routines --events --triggers | zstd -3 -T4 > /backup/all-$(date +%F).sql.zst
```

Very large single tables are better served by physical backups (`mariadb-backup`, the Percona XtraBackup equivalent for MariaDB) or by binary-log-based point-in-time recovery, which our [PITR guide](/guides/mariadb-point-in-time-recovery-binlogs/) covers. A logical dump remains the right tool for portability across versions, which is why it is what you take before an upgrade.

## Common pitfall

Dumping with the system default character set. Older scripts, or scripts run under a cron environment with no locale, can produce a dump in `latin1` that turns every accented character into two bytes on restore. Always pass `--default-character-set=utf8mb4` and check the head of the file for the `SET NAMES` line it produces.

## Verify

A dump is not a backup until it has been restored somewhere. At minimum, check that it ends with the completion marker and that it restores into a scratch instance:

```
zcat /backup/all-*.sql.gz | tail -1
mariadb -e "CREATE DATABASE restore_test"
zcat /backup/db/shopuser_main-*.sql.gz | mariadb restore_test
mariadb -e "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM information_schema.TABLES WHERE TABLE_SCHEMA='restore_test'"
mariadb -e "DROP DATABASE restore_test"
```

The last line of the dump should be the `Dump completed` comment; anything else means it was cut short. Our [backup verify script](/scripts/backup-verify/) runs this check across a directory of dumps and reports files that are truncated, empty or older than expected, and it is worth wiring into the same cron that produces them.

## Mariadb-dump vs mysqldump at a glance

**Official documentation:** [MySQL reference manual](https://dev.mysql.com/doc/), [MariaDB documentation](https://mariadb.com/docs/), [AlmaLinux wiki](https://wiki.almalinux.org/).

**Related guides:** [MariaDB point-in-time recovery with binary logs (and 13.0’s innodb_log_archive)](https://srvscripts.com/guides/mariadb-point-in-time-recovery-binlogs/) · [Harden SSH on AlmaLinux 9 and Rocky 9 in 15 minutes](https://srvscripts.com/guides/harden-ssh-almalinux-9/) · [MariaDB won’t start after an upgrade: InnoDB recovery, mariadb-upgrade and sql_mode issues](https://srvscripts.com/guides/mariadb-not-starting-after-upgrade/).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is mariadb-dump the same as mysqldump?

On a MariaDB server they are the same binary; `mysqldump` is a compatibility symlink that a package update can drop. The options are largely identical, but features added in 12.x such as the `-L` wildcard exist only under the `mariadb-dump` name, and `mariadb-dump` is not present on a MySQL server at all.

### Does –single-transaction lock tables during a mariadb-dump?

Not for InnoDB, where it opens a consistent snapshot and the dump reflects one point in time without blocking writes. MyISAM and Aria tables are still dumped with a brief read lock each, which is one more reason to move customer tables to InnoDB.

### How do I dump all databases for one cPanel account?

On MariaDB 12.1 or later, `mariadb-dump -L 'username_%'` with the usual options dumps every database with that prefix, including `CREATE DATABASE` statements. On older versions, loop over `SHOW DATABASES LIKE 'username\_%'` and dump each one to its own file.