YugabyteDB includes `ysql_dump` and `ysql_dumpall` utilities that allow you to export data into a SQL script. These utilities derive from PostgreSQL `pg_dump` and `pg_dumpall`.
In general, it is recommended to use other means for backups, such as [distributed backup and recovery](../snapshot-ysql/). However, you can use `ysql_dump` and `ysql_dumpall` if you intend to restore the data on a database other than YugabyteDB, or if having data in SQL format is a requirement for other reasons, such as regulations.
Both utilities are thread-safe and always produce a consistent version of the database even if run concurrently with other applications that read and update the data.
For more details and a list of all available options, see the following:
- [ysql_dump reference](../../../admin/ysql-dump/)
- [ysql_dumpall reference](../../../admin/ysql-dumpall/)
## Export a single database
To export a single database with all its tables, indexes, and other local artifacts, use the `ysql_dump` utility by executing the following command:
```sh
./postgres/bin/ysql_dump -d >
```
- *db-name* is the name of the database to be exported.
- *file* is the path to the resulting SQL script file.
For example, to export the `mydb` database into a file called `mydb-dump.sql` located in the `backup` folder, the command would be as follows:
```sh
./postgres/bin/ysql_dump -d mydb > backup/mydb-dump.sql
```
## Export a single table
To export a single database table, use the `ysql_dump` utility by executing the following command:
```sh
./postgres/bin/ysql_dump -t -f
```
- *table-name* is the name of the table to be exported.
- *db-name* is the name of the database to be exported.
- *file* is the path to the resulting SQL script file.
For example, to export the `mytable` table of the `mydb` database into a file called `mytable-mydb-dump.sql` located in the `backup` folder, the command would be as follows:
```sh
./postgres/bin/ysql_dump -t mytable mydb -f backup/mytable-mydb-dump.sql
```
## Export all databases
To export all databases, along with the global artifacts such as users, roles, permissions, and so on, use the `ysql_dumpall` utility by executing the following command:
```sh
./postgres/bin/ysql_dumpall >
```
*file* is the path to the resulting SQL script file.
The following are two of the script's common command-line options:
- *--roles-only* exports just the roles.
- *--schema-only* exports all database objects without the data.
## Import
You can import schemas and objects into YugabyteDB from a SQL script. To create this script, follow instructions provided in [Export a single database](#export-a-single-database) or [Export all databases](#export-all-databases). Alternatively, you can obtain the script from an external database that supports PostgreSQL syntax.
To import the script, use the ysqlsh command line tool, as follows:
```sh
./bin/ysqlsh -f
```
*sql_script* is the path to the SQL script to be imported.
You can also use the `\i` meta-command in the ysqlsh shell to import a SQL script, as follows:
```sql
yugabyte=# \i
```