README

Laravel database backup & download package with mysqldump or PHP-only exporter.

Features

• SQL dump (CLI)
• PHP-only exporter (shared hosting friendly)
• Config based mode switching
• Chunked export
• Auto download
• Secure & lightweight

Installation

     composer require daiyan_mozumder/flex-db-dump

Configuration

     FLEX_DB_DUMP_MODE=php

Configuring mysqldump path

flex-db-dump uses mysqldump to create database backups. By default, it tries to run mysqldump from the system PATH. Depending on your environment, you may need to explicitly set the path.

Step 1: Publish the config

Publish Config

     php artisan vendor:publish --tag=flex-db-dump-config

This will create:

     config/flex_db_dump.php

Step 2: Update the mysqldump_path

Open config/flex_db_dump.php:

     return [
    // Backup storage path
    'path' => storage_path('app/db_backups'),

    // Full path to mysqldump executable
    'mysqldump_path' => env('MYSQLDUMP_PATH', 'mysqldump'), // default
];

Step 3: Set environment variable in .env

1️⃣ Local development

Windows (XAMPP, WAMP):

     MYSQLDUMP_PATH="C:\\xampp\\mysql\\bin\\mysqldump.exe"

Linux/macOS:

     MYSQLDUMP_PATH="/usr/bin/mysqldump"

You can test the path in terminal:

     C:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqldump.exe --version   # Windows
     /usr/bin/mysqldump --version                  # Linux

2️⃣ VPS / Shared Hosting

On VPS with shell access:

     MYSQLDUMP_PATH="/usr/bin/mysqldump"

On shared hosting:

1. Check if mysqldump is available:

     which mysqldump

1. Use the full path returned:

     MYSQLDUMP_PATH="/usr/local/mysql/bin/mysqldump"

Supported modes:

php → No CLI, pure PHP

sql → Uses mysqldump

Route

     GET /flex/db-dump

Protect it:

     Route::middleware(['auth', 'role:admin'])->group(...)

Usage

Visit:

    /flex/db-dump

Your database will download automatically.

Requirements

PHP 8.1+ Laravel 10+ mysqldump (for sql mode)

Security

⚠️ Always restrict route access (admin only).

🖥 Server Requirements for mysqldump Mode (VPS / VFS)

When using sql mode, flex-db-dump relies on the system-level mysqldump binary. This does NOT work automatically unless your server is properly configured.

✅ Supported Server Types

1. VPS (DigitalOcean, AWS EC2, Hetzner, Linode, etc.)
2. Dedicated server
3. Docker-based servers
4. Self-managed cloud servers

⚠️ Not supported on most shared hosting environments.

1️⃣ Verify mysqldump Is Installed

Run this on your server:

Windows:

    mysqldump --version

Expected output:

    mysqldump  Ver 8.0.30 for Win64 on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)

MacOS

    which mysqldump

Expected output:

    /usr/bin/mysqldump

If nothing is returned, install it.

2️⃣ Install MySQL Client (If Missing)

Ubuntu / Debian

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install mysql-client -y

CentOS / Rocky / Alma

    sudo yum install mysql -y

3️⃣ Ensure PHP Can Execute System Commands

The following PHP functions must NOT be disabled:

1. proc_open
2. shell_exec
3. exec

Check:

    php -i | grep disable_functions

If disabled, update php.ini:

    disable_functions =

Then restart PHP:

    sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

4️⃣ MySQL Credentials Access (IMPORTANT)

Option A: Use Laravel .env (Default)

  DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
  DB_DATABASE=your_db
  DB_USERNAME=your_user
  DB_PASSWORD=your_password

⚠️ Some MySQL versions block passwords passed via CLI.

Option B (RECOMMENDED): Use .my.cnf (Most Secure)

Create this file:

  nano ~/.my.cnf

Add:

[mysqldump]

  user=your_db_user
  password=your_db_password
  host=127.0.0.1

Set permissions:

   chmod 600 ~/.my.cnf

Then remove password from CLI usage automatically — mysqldump will read it securely.

✅ This avoids password exposure in process lists.

5️⃣ SELinux (CentOS Only)

If SELinux is enabled:

setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect_db 1

6️⃣ Storage Permissions

Ensure Laravel can write backups:

   chmod -R 775 storage
   chown -R www-data:www-data storage

7️⃣ Test mysqldump Manually

Before using the package:

   mysqldump your_db > test.sql

If this fails, the package will fail too.

8️⃣ Enable SQL Mode in Package

FLEX_DB_DUMP_MODE=sql

9️⃣ When to Use php Mode Instead

Use PHP exporter mode if:

1. Shared hosting
2. No shell access
3. proc_open disabled
4. No mysqldump available

   FLEX_DB_DUMP_MODE=php

🔐 Security Recommendations

1. Always protect /flex/db-dump route
2. Restrict to admin users only 
3. Add rate limiting 
4. Never expose publicly

Example:

  Route::middleware(['auth', 'role:admin', 'throttle:1,10'])->group(function () {
  Route::get('flex/db-dump', [\Flex\DbDump\Http\Controllers\DbDumpController::class, 'download']);
  })->name('flex_db_dump');

Author

Daiyan Mozumder

License

MIT