Database Management

Your WordPress database stores data required for your site to function, including information such as:

• Posts, pages, and other content.
• Comments on your posts or pages.
• Information about your site’s visitors.
• Categories and tags.
• Site settings.
• Plugin and theme data.

WordPress uses MySQL, a free, open-source database management system that enables the database to store information and provide you with access to it. When WordPress needs to update the database, it sends a MySQL ‘query’ to the database, which provides instructions about which data to update and how to update it. However, you can also directly access your database to run your own MySQL queries to perform tasks that you may not be able to do from your dashboard. For more information about the WordPress database, refer to A Beginner’s Guide to WordPress Database: What It Is and How to Access It.

Kinsta provides direct, secure SSH access to your WordPress database straight from your MyKinsta dashboard. You can also modify your database with tools like phpMyAdmin, HeidiSQL, Sequel Pro, and MySQL Workbench. 

We provide backups that are a complete snapshot of your WordPress site’s environment (including files, database, redirects, and Nginx configuration). Our Database Backup guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to backup just your WordPress database either from MyKinsta, phpMyAdmin, WP-CLI, or an external backups add-on. You can also import your WordPress database using phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI.