Contact Support
Sign In
How to import a database via SSH is one of the fastest and most reliable ways to upload large SQL files to your hosting account. This method is especially useful when phpMyAdmin times out or fails due to file size limits.
Hosted.com® provides SSH access on supported hosting plans, allowing you to securely import databases directly from the command line.
This guide explains how to import a MySQL database via SSH using cPanel credentials.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When Should You Import a Database via SSH?
Using SSH is recommended when:
- Your database file is large (typically over 50MB).
- phpMyAdmin import fails or times out.
- You’re migrating a website or restoring a backup.
- You need faster, more stable database imports.
Requirements:
Before you begin, ensure that:
- SSH access is enabled on your Hosted.com® hosting plan.
- You have your cPanel username and password.
- The database and database user already exist in cPanel.
- You have the.sql file ready on your local computer.
How To Import A Database Via SSH In cPanel
Step 1: Upload the Database File to Your Hosting Account
1. Login to your Hosted.com® account.
2. Open cPanel for the domain you’re working on.
3. Go to File Manager.
4. Navigate to your home directory or a temporary folder (e.g. /home/username/).
5. Upload your.sql file.
TIP:
Keep the file name short and avoid spaces (e.g. backup.sql).
Step 2: Connect to Your Server via SSH
You can connect using:
- Terminal (Linux/macOS).
- PuTTY (Windows).
Use the following command:
ssh username@yourdomain.co.zaEnter your cPanel password when prompted.
Step 3: Import the Database
Once connected, run this command:
mysql -u database_user -p database_name < backup.sql
EXAMPLE:
mysql -u myuser_wp -p mydatabase_wp < backup.sql- Press Enter.
- Enter the database user password when prompted.
- Wait for the command to complete.
If the import is successful, no confirmation message will appear.
Step 4: Verify the Import
To confirm the import:
1. Log back into cPanel.
2. Open phpMyAdmin.
3. Select the database.
4. Check that tables and data are present.
Additional Information
- Importing a database via SSH bypasses browser-based limitations found in tools like phpMyAdmin, making it the most reliable option for handling large SQL files, complex table structures, or databases containing millions of rows without risking timeouts or incomplete imports.
- When importing a database into an existing environment, it is important to ensure that table prefixes, character sets, and collations match the original database configuration, as mismatches may lead to broken site functionality or unexpected encoding issues.
- If you are restoring a backup over an existing database, all existing tables with matching names will be overwritten, which is why Hosted.com® strongly recommends exporting a full backup of the current database before running an import command.
- Database imports performed via SSH require that the database user has full privileges (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, CREATE, DROP, and INDEX), as limited permissions can cause silent failures during the import process.
- Once the import is completed successfully, removing the SQL file from your hosting account is considered a best security practice, as leaving database dumps accessible on the server can pose a security risk if file permissions are misconfigured.
Login to Hosted.com® Account
1. Go to the Hosted.com® website Account Login page.
2. Enter your Email and Password and click the Sign In button.
3. You will see the Hosted.com® Dashboard, displaying the Manage Account menu on the left and your Account Information, Account Overview and Open Support Tickets on the right.
Login to cPanel from your Hosted.com® Dashboard
4. Click on Manage Services to view the sub-dropdown menu and select the hosting package for the domain you want to work with – in our example we are using WordPress Hosting.
5. Click the Manage button to the right of the domain name you want to access.
6. The display will now show Product Information, Quick Manage, Resource Usage and Site Statistics for that domain name.
7. Under Product Information, scroll down to Control Panel, which will display cPanel to the right, and click on the Login button.
8. The cPanel Dashboard will now be displa
