How to export your data from DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean has no single 'export my account' button. The documented way to get data out is per resource: for Managed Databases, you connect with a MySQL or PostgreSQL client using the cluster's connection details and run mysqldump or pg_dump to produce a local SQL dump file.

Formats: SQL dump (.sql)Plan: Any Managed Database cluster (MySQL or PostgreSQL) — no special plan is called out for dump exports in DigitalOcean's docsRole: Access to the database's connection details (the doadmin user or another DB user) from the DigitalOcean control panel

✓ Verified against DigitalOcean's official documentation, October 2026

Step by step

1Log in to the DigitalOcean control panel and go to the Databases page (cloud.digitalocean.com/databases).
2Open the cluster you want to export, open its 'More' menu, select 'Connection details,' then click 'Flags' and 'Copy' to get the connection string (host, port, username, password).
3Install a database client locally: the MySQL command line client or MySQL Shell for MySQL clusters, or a pg_dump-capable PostgreSQL client for PostgreSQL clusters.
4For MySQL, run mysqldump against the cluster with --single-transaction and --set-gtid-purged=OFF, redirecting output to a local file: mysqldump -u doadmin -p -h <host> -P 25060 --single-transaction --set-gtid-purged=OFF <database_name> > backup.sql
5For PostgreSQL, use pg_dump against the cluster's connection string to create a point-in-time dump file of the database.
6Store the resulting .sql dump file locally — it's a standalone file you can move, inspect, or import into another MySQL/PostgreSQL-compatible host.

What the export includes

✓Full database schema and data rows at the time the dump is taken (MySQL via mysqldump; PostgreSQL via pg_dump)
✓For PostgreSQL, the dump is described as a point-in-time snapshot of the database

What it doesn't include

✗Any changes written to the source database after the dump/export starts (not captured in a point-in-time dump)
✗Droplet disk contents, Spaces object storage files, account/billing data, Kubernetes manifests, and other non-database resources — these are not covered by mysqldump/pg_dump and require separate DigitalOcean tools (e.g., Droplet snapshots, Spaces access via S3-compatible clients)
✗GTID metadata, if --set-gtid-purged is left on instead of off during a MySQL export

Before you start

⚠For MySQL exports, DigitalOcean warns: "If you don't set the --set-gtid-purged flag to off during export, importing the data may fail."
⚠MySQL Shell (mysqlsh) can import both SQL and JSON files, but mysqldump itself only produces SQL-format dumps — there's no native JSON export path for Managed MySQL.
⚠PostgreSQL continuous migration (for moving data between clusters) is only available on Standard Edition; Advanced Edition clusters require a pg_dump-based import/export instead.
⚠Continuous migration jobs automatically stop after two weeks, so they are not meant as an ongoing sync — for a one-time export, a pg_dump/mysqldump file is the durable artifact.

Where to take your data

Free and cheaper tools that can take a DigitalOcean export. See all DigitalOcean alternatives →

Hetzner Cloud

Spin up a VM, install MySQL/PostgreSQL, and restore the .sql dump with `mysql < backup.sql` or `psql < backup.sql`.

Vultr

Provision a Vultr Managed Database or self-hosted instance, then import the dump file with the standard mysql/psql command-line client.

Oracle Cloud Free Tier

Create a free-tier compute instance or Autonomous Database, upload the dump, and restore it with mysql/psql or the provider's import tooling.

Exporting from DigitalOcean: common questions

Can I export my entire DigitalOcean account in one click?+

No. DigitalOcean's documentation does not describe a single account-wide export. Each resource type (Managed Databases, Droplets, Spaces) has its own export/backup mechanism; for Managed Databases that mechanism is mysqldump (MySQL) or pg_dump (PostgreSQL).

What file format do I get from a database export?+

A SQL dump file (.sql). MySQL exports are created with mysqldump; PostgreSQL exports are created with pg_dump and described as a point-in-time snapshot of the database.

Do I need a specific plan or edition to export my database?+

DigitalOcean's export instructions don't restrict mysqldump/pg_dump exports by plan. Note that PostgreSQL continuous migration (for moving between clusters) is Standard Edition only — Advanced Edition clusters use the pg_dump path instead.

Will the export include data written after I start it?+

No. A pg_dump export is a point-in-time snapshot, so any writes to the source database after the dump starts are not included.

What about my Droplets, Spaces files, or billing history?+

Those aren't covered by the database export flow. They use separate DigitalOcean mechanisms (Droplet snapshots/images, Spaces via S3-compatible tools, and account billing pages) rather than mysqldump/pg_dump.