Setting up a MySQLDumper cronjob: back up your database automatically every night

Setup

Step by step

1. Place the Perl script

   By default crondump.pl sits in the msd_cron folder inside MySQLDumper. There the script finds its configuration by itself. If your server runs Perl only in the cgi-bin directory, follow the MySQLDumper help: copy crondump.pl, perltest.pl and simpletest.pl to cgi-bin by FTP in ASCII mode and set their permissions to 755. In crondump.pl, enter the path MySQLDumper shows under Backup → Backup PERL at $absolute_path_of_configdir.

2. Set up the cron script in MySQLDumper

   Open Configuration → Cronscript. Choose the file extension (.pl or .cgi) and enter the folder as the path of the Perl scripts, for example /cgi-bin/. Under database, pick a single database or “=all Databases=”. Click “Save”.

3. Test Perl on the server

   Open Backup → Backup PERL. “Test Perl” and “Test Perl Modules” show whether the server can run the script. “Run the Perl Cron script” starts a backup right away in the browser. The button calls the same address you will enter at Cronjob.de in a moment. If that finishes without an error message, the script is ready.

4. Copy the address

   The same page shows the line “URL for the browser or for external Cron job”. Copy the address below it in full. The value after config= is the configuration profile. If you use several profiles, create one cronjob per profile.

   https://ihre-seite.de/mysqldumper/msd_cron/crondump.pl?config=mysqldumper

5. Protect the directory

   If the script sits in the MySQLDumper folder, use “Create directory protection” on the MySQLDumper home page to set a password. For cgi-bin, use your host's password protection. Enter username and password at Cronjob.de in the two credentials fields. Never put them into the address.

6. Create the cronjob at Cronjob.de

   Create a free account, no payment details needed. Paste the address and choose a schedule, for example daily at 3:30 am. You can click the schedule together, describe it in one sentence or paste the text from MySQLDumper: the AI assistant reads the address and schedule from it. From Plus you get an email when a call fails.

   30 3 * * *

   You can enter this expression at Cronjob.de exactly as it is – the schedule field understands crontab notation. But you do not have to know it: simply click the schedule together instead.

What the five fields of an expression like */5 * * * * mean is explained in the crontab reference – with examples and the most common pitfalls. You can build the expression in the crontab generator. Whether you need an outside service at all is shown in the comparison of the three ways.

Verification

Is it actually running?

Run the cronjob once by hand. The Cronjob.de call log shows the time, runtime and status code, and from Plus upwards the response as well. Status 200 alone does not prove a backup, because the script answers before it starts backing up. Look for “Finished backup of database” for each database in the response. Error messages from the script usually start with “Perl Cronscript ERROR”. In MySQLDumper, the Log page shows the Perl log, and the new file sits in the backup folder. Cronjob.de only waits a limited time for the response. Whether your server keeps a long backup running after that depends on the server. Check this in the Perl log after the first run.

FAQ

Common questions about MySQLDumper

Which address do I enter for MySQLDumper at Cronjob.de?

The address from MySQLDumper under Backup → Backup PERL, line “URL for the browser or for external Cron job”. It looks like …/crondump.pl?config=mysqldumper, with a cgi-bin for example https://ihre-seite.de/cgi-bin/crondump.pl?config=mysqldumper. Copy it unchanged.

Do I write config=mysqldumper or config=mysqldumper.conf.php?

Both work. According to the MySQLDumper 1.24 changelog, the script adds the missing “.conf.php” extension itself. Without the parameter it loads the default file mysqldumper.conf.php.

How often should the MySQLDumper backup run?

For most sites once a day is enough, at night when traffic is low. That works on the free Cronjob.de plan. How many old backups to keep is set in MySQLDumper under Configuration → Autodelete. According to the changelog, MySQLDumper only deletes old files once the backup has ended, and keeps them if an error occurs.

How do I protect crondump.pl from calls by others?

With password protection on the directory. On its home page, MySQLDumper creates it for its own folder with “Create directory protection”. For cgi-bin, use your host's password protection. Enter the credentials in the credentials fields of the cronjob form, never in the address.

Calling crondump.pl fails. What do I check first?

The MySQLDumper help names three points: upload the files in ASCII mode, set permissions to 755 and put the script in a directory where Perl may run, often cgi-bin. Under Backup → Backup PERL, “Test Perl Modules” shows whether the required modules are installed.

Is MySQLDumper still maintained, and what are the alternatives?

No. Since May 2018 the project page says the project is no longer maintained. The latest version is 1.24.4 from 2011. Ask your host whether its customer panel offers a database backup. With command line access, the MySQL tool mysqldump can back up via crontab. A heartbeat tells you whether that run worked.