At a glance
| Supported databases | MySQL, Percona Server for MySQL and Percona XtraDB Cluster; series must match the server (8.4 or 9.7) |
| Backup types | Full and incremental physical backups; partial backups |
| Point-in-time recovery | Yes, by restoring a backup and replaying binary logs with mysqlbinlog |
| Compression and encryption | zstd (default) or lz4; AES256 encryption |
| Storage targets | Local or mounted storage, streams over the network, xbcloud to S3, GCS, Azure, MinIO and Swift |
| Retention and automation | None built in: scheduling and retention are scripted by the user |
| Restore options | Prepare then copy back or move back the data files; restore from streamed or cloud backups |
| Version lines | 8.4 (MySQL 8.4 LTS), 9.7 (MySQL 9.7); 8.0 end of life June 2026; 2.4 was for MySQL 5.7 |
| Licensing | GPLv2, free |
Percona XtraBackup is the standard open source choice for physical, non-blocking backups of large MySQL InnoDB databases, where mysqldump is too slow to restore. Match the XtraBackup series to your server exactly: 8.4 for MySQL 8.4, 9.7 for MySQL 9.7, and plan a move off 8.0, whose XtraBackup series is now end of life.
Overview
Percona XtraBackup copies InnoDB data files while the server keeps running, records the redo log generated during the copy, and then applies that log in a separate prepare step so the backup is consistent. It also handles XtraDB, MyISAM and MyRocks tables. Backups can be full or incremental, compressed with zstd (the default) or lz4, encrypted with AES256, and streamed in the xbstream format, and the bundled xbcloud tool uploads streams to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure, MinIO or Swift. Point-in-time recovery is done by restoring a backup and replaying MySQL binary logs from the recorded position.
Each XtraBackup series supports only the server series with the same number. XtraBackup 8.4 supports MySQL 8.4, Percona Server 8.4 and Percona XtraDB Cluster 8.4 and refuses 8.0 or 9.x servers; XtraBackup 9.7 supports MySQL 9.7 and Percona Server 9.7 only. Version 9.7.2-2 renamed several options (for example --incremental-basedir became --backup-incremental-base, old names still work with a warning) and improved page-tracking incremental backups. The 8.0 series reached end of life in June 2026.
Key features
- Hot physical backups of InnoDB without stopping the server, plus XtraDB, MyISAM and MyRocks tables
- Incremental backups, including page-tracking incrementals that skip unchanged page ranges (9.7.2-2)
- Compression with zstd (default) or lz4, and AES256 encryption with a key or key file
- Streaming backups in xbstream format, with xbcloud uploads to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage, Azure, MinIO and Swift
- Point-in-time recovery by replaying binary logs from the position saved in xtrabackup_binlog_info
- Parallel processing of files, and backup history that can be stored on another server (9.7)
- Backups accepted by Amazon Aurora MySQL for physical migration from S3 (MySQL 5.7 and 8.0 sources)
Integrations and ecosystem
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free and open source, with no feature gating
- Physical restores are much faster than replaying a logical dump for large databases
- Built-in compression, encryption, streaming and cloud upload
- Widely used as the input format elsewhere, for example by Amazon Aurora MySQL restores from S3
Cons
- Strict version matching: a separate XtraBackup series for each MySQL series, and no 9.x Innovation support
- No scheduler, catalogue or retention management; you build these around it
- Restore needs a prepare step and file-level access to the server
- The 8.0 series is end of life, so MySQL 8.0 users are on an unmaintained backup tool
Pricing
Percona XtraBackup is free, open source software under the GPLv2, according to the project's GitHub repository. Percona sells support and services separately, but the tool itself needs no licence. Your costs are storage, the servers that run it and the effort to script, monitor and test restores.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
Teams running large self-managed MySQL 8.4 or 9.7 (or Percona Server) databases who need hot physical backups and fast restores without buying a commercial tool.
Typical use cases
- Nightly hot backups of a multi-terabyte InnoDB database with hourly incrementals
- Seeding a new replica from a streamed backup instead of a dump
- Shipping encrypted, compressed backups to Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage with xbcloud
- Migrating self-managed MySQL 8.0 to Amazon Aurora MySQL from backup files in S3
- Recovering to a moment before a bad change by replaying binary logs
Who should look elsewhere
- Small databases or cross-version copies, where a logical dump is simpler: see the mysqldump guide.
- Managed services such as Amazon RDS, where you cannot reach the data files and the service provides its own backups: see RDS backups and snapshots.
Verdict
Percona XtraBackup remains the default free tool for hot physical MySQL backups, with compression, encryption and cloud streaming included. The trade-offs are strict server-version matching, no built-in scheduling or retention, and the end of the 8.0 series, so pair it with your own automation and keep the tool series aligned with every server upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
Which XtraBackup version do I need for MySQL 8.4 or 9.7?
Use XtraBackup 8.4 for MySQL or Percona Server 8.4, and XtraBackup 9.7 for 9.7. Each series refuses other server versions unless you override the check, which Percona warns can produce failed or corrupted backups.
Is XtraBackup 8.0 still supported?
No. Percona's 8.0 documentation says the series reached end of life in June 2026, with 8.0.35-36 as the last release, and recommends moving to MySQL 8.4 and XtraBackup 8.4.
How does XtraBackup relate to MySQL Enterprise Backup?
MySQL Enterprise Backup is Oracle's commercially licensed physical backup tool, included in MySQL Enterprise Edition (Oracle says it is only available in select commercial editions). XtraBackup is Percona's free GPLv2 tool covering similar hot, incremental, compressed and encrypted backups.
Is Percona XtraBackup free?
Yes. It is open source under the GPLv2. Percona offers paid support separately.
Sources
- Percona XtraBackup 8.4 documentation
- Percona XtraBackup 9.7 documentation
- Percona XtraBackup 9.7.2-2 release notes
- Percona XtraBackup 8.0 documentation (end of life notice)
- Percona XtraBackup GitHub repository (GPLv2)
- Point-in-time recovery with XtraBackup
- AWS: physical migration to Aurora MySQL with Percona XtraBackup
- MySQL Enterprise Backup (Oracle)
Checked November 2026.
Listed in: Database Backup & Recovery.
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