Backup with mysqldump
Single Database
mysqldump -u root -p mydb > mydb_backup.sql
All Databases
mysqldump -u root -p --all-databases > all_backup.sql
For large databases, add
--single-transaction --quick
Restore a Backup
mysql -u root -p mydb < mydb_backup.sql
Automate Backups with Cron
Example:
0 2 * * * /usr/bin/mysqldump -u root -ppassword mydb > /backups/mydb_$(date +\%F).sql