> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.flextable.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Backup and restore

> Back up a database with the matching engine tools, downloaded and verified for you, and restore it later.

Back up a whole database and restore it later, per connection. FlexTable drives the real engine tools under the hood, so a backup is a standard dump you can trust and reuse.

<Note>Backup and restore is a PRO feature.</Note>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/flextable/N9AmtdFPRmv5ROOo/images/11-backup-restore/backup.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=N9AmtdFPRmv5ROOo&q=85&s=ed1b69d6727c2761877bdbefde2985d8" alt="The Backup dialog" width="515" height="570" data-path="images/11-backup-restore/backup.png" />

## Tools, handled for you

Backups use each engine's native client tools (`pg_dump` / `pg_restore`, `mysqldump`, `mongodump` / `mongorestore`, and the SQLite and Redis equivalents). FlexTable **downloads and verifies the version-matched tools automatically** and shows their status, so a backup taken here is compatible and you never hunt for a matching CLI.

<Tip>**Version-matched.** FlexTable checks the tool version against your server and flags a mismatch before it can produce a bad dump.</Tip>

## Back up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose Backup on a connection" />

  <Step title="Pick the options for that engine">
    * **Format** - for example PostgreSQL custom or plain SQL, a MongoDB archive, a MySQL SQL dump, a SQLite file copy, or a Redis snapshot.
    * **Scope** - the whole database, or selected tables/collections.
    * **Compression** - optional, to shrink the output.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose where to save and run it">Progress is shown as it works.</Step>
</Steps>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/flextable/N9AmtdFPRmv5ROOo/images/11-backup-restore/options.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=N9AmtdFPRmv5ROOo&q=85&s=779eaf65639ac2234beea6f5ca85fb02" alt="Backup options per engine" width="514" height="570" data-path="images/11-backup-restore/options.png" />

## Restore

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose Restore on a connection" />

  <Step title="Pick the backup file">FlexTable auto-detects the format.</Step>

  <Step title="Set restore options (for example the target database) and run" />
</Steps>

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/flextable/N9AmtdFPRmv5ROOo/images/11-backup-restore/restore.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=N9AmtdFPRmv5ROOo&q=85&s=5e042ce176706f6e5a3e081684703eb4" alt="Restore dialog" width="512" height="550" data-path="images/11-backup-restore/restore.png" />

<Warning>**Safe by default.** Review the target before you run a restore; restoring into an existing database can overwrite data.</Warning>

<Card title="Per-table data" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left" href="/import-and-export">
  For CSV/JSON/SQL/Excel of a single table, use Import and export instead.
</Card>