The xtrabackup binary overview

The xtrabackup binary is a compiled C program that is linked with the InnoDB libraries and the standard MySQL client libraries.

For details on the xtrabackup command-line options, see xtrabackup command-line options.

xtrabackup enables point-in-time backups of InnoDB / XtraDB tables together with the schema definitions, MyISAM tables, and other portions of the server.

The InnoDB libraries provide the functionality to apply a log to data files. The MySQL client libraries are used to parse command-line options and configuration file.

The tool runs in either --backup or --prepare mode, corresponding to the two main functions it performs. There are several variations on these functions to accomplish different tasks, and there are two less commonly used modes, --stats and --print-param.