DROP DATABASE - MySQL

Overview

The DROP DATABASE command in MySQL permanently removes a specified database from the server. It erases all data, tables, and related objects within that database. This command is irreversible and should only be executed with caution.

Syntax

DROP DATABASE [IF EXISTS] database_name

Parameters:

• IF EXISTS: (Optional) Checks if the database exists before attempting to drop it. If the database does not exist, the command is ignored without error.

Options/Flags

None

Examples

Simple example:

DROP DATABASE mydatabase;

Example with IF EXISTS:

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS mydatabase;

Common Issues

• Ensure that you have sufficient permissions to drop the database.
• Confirm that the database is empty or does not contain any critical data before dropping it.
• If the database is in use by any active connections, the drop operation will fail. Close all connections before attempting to drop.

Integration

With DROP TABLE:

DROP TABLE table_name;
DROP DATABASE database_name;

With mysqldump:

Create a database backup before dropping:

mysqldump -u username -p password database_name > backup.sql
DROP DATABASE database_name;

Related Commands

• CREATE DATABASE: Creates a new database.
• ALTER DATABASE: Modifies the structure or properties of an existing database.
• SHOW DATABASES: Lists all databases in the MySQL server.