Point-in-time recovery (PITR) is one of the data recovery methods in MySQL Server that helps you restore data to a specific moment in the past, rather than the complete backup. This you can use when you just need to undo/rollback unwanted changes made to the database since the last backup. In other words, it allows you to return the database to the state before something went wrong.
Here are some situations where Point-in-Time Recovery comes into the picture:
- If you have mistakenly used the DROP or DELETE command and removed an important table from the MySQL database.
- If you forgot to include the WHERE clause and deleted all rows from a table.
- If hard-disk issues or system crash leave your MySQL data in an inconsistent state.
In this post, we will mention the process to perform point-in-time recovery in MySQL. If PITR fails or you fail to open the MySQL tables after restoring, then you can use a professional MySQL recovery tool mentioned in this post.
Key Things to Consider for Point-in-Time Recovery in MySQL
Here are some things to consider to perform point-in-time recovery in MySQL Server.
Full Backup
A full backup contains the complete database at a specific time. It serves as the initial point for PITR and enables incremental changes
Binary Logs
The binary log files record all changes made to the database and allow you to replay those changes to a required specific point. These are version-specific, so make sure the version of the MySQL Server you're using to restore the backup is compatible with the version that created the binary logs.
Storage Engine Compatibility
As MyISAM is non-transactional and lacks advanced features, like crash recovery and transactions, it does not provide consistent recovery using point-in-time. The PITR process relies entirely on binary logs, which record changes to the database as transactions occur. So, make sure you’re using the PITR method to recover InnoDB tables in MySQL.
Check and Find Target Recovery Point:
You should know the exact time when the corruption or accidental deletion occurred to perform point-in-time recovery.
Check Permissions
Make sure you've the desired permissions, like SUPER, DROP, SELECT, CREATE, etc., to restore the MySQL database.
Procedure to Perform Point-in-Time Recovery in MySQL Server/Workbench
You can perform point-in-time recovery using Binary Log file. Here are the detailed steps:
Step 1 - Check the Error Logs
This helps in finding the exact time or event when corruption/issue occurs. You can find the error log in configuration file, which is located in your MySQL installation directory. Next, check for entries with InnoDB-related errors and warnings, and note the timestamp when corruption/issue was reported.
Step 2 - Restore the Full Backup
Now restore the full back up. You can use the command-line utility - Mysqldump to restore the backup file in MySQL.
Step 3 - Locate Binary Logs
First, make sure the binary logging is enabled on your MySQL Server to perform the point-in-time recovery. To verify this, run the following command:
mysql> SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'log_bin';
Next, run mysqlbinlog utility to find and process binary logs.
Step 4 - Filter Logs to Recovery Point
The binary logs record events related to modifications to the contents of your database. The binary logs record info according to the time or position of events. This content is in binary format. You can use mysqlbinlog file to open and view the file in a text editor. Next, use the time-stamp or log position to extract transaction specific to the moment before corruption/issue. Here are the commands:
mysqlbinlog --stop-datetime="2025-11-25 10:00:00" mysql-bin.000001 > recovery.sql
mysqlbinlog --stop-position=12345 mysql-bin.000001 > recovery.sql
Step 5 - Replay the Logs
Once you have filtered the logs, then apply the filtered logs and restore database using the below command:
mysql -u root -p < recovery.sql
Limitations of Point-in-Time Recovery
The point-in-recovery method can help you recover the data to a specific moment, but it has some limitations, such as:
- Not suitable to recover severely corrupted MySQL tables
- Does not work if backup file is not readable
- Required readable Binary Log file
- Binary logging should be enabled
Alternative Tool to Restore MySQL Database
In point-in-time recovery, you require full backup and binary logs. If binary log file or backup (dump) file is corrupted or unavailable, then PITR is not possible. Also, this method may not work if the MySQL database file is severely corrupted or if the database you’re trying to recover is created with MyISAM engine. To repair the InnoDB and MyISAM tables quickly without backup or binary log file, you can use a professional MySQL repair tool, such as Stellar Repair for MySQL. It helps in specific object recovery with no data loss. Also, it helps in resolving complex corruption errors in both transactional and non-transactional tables in MySQL.
To Conclude
You can use point-in-time recovery feature in MySQL Server to recover data. It allows you to easily restore the data to a precise moment, which helps in minimizing workflow disruption. Follow this post to perform point-in-time recovery in a smooth way. If disabled binary logging or incomplete backup has prevented you from performing PITR, then you can rely on a professional MySQL repair tool – Stellar Repair for MySQL. It can help you recover InnoDB and MyISAM tables with complete integrity.
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