MySQL Database Recovery Tool by Stellar is designed to assist in resolving various issues that may occasionally arise while managing MySQL and MariaDB databases. It can efficiently repair all inaccessible or corrupted database objects—including tables, primary keys, views, and triggers—created in the InnoDB and MyISAM database engines without altering or deleting the original databases.
Regarding compatibility, MySQL versions 8.x, 6.x, 5.x, 4.x, and 3.x are supported. Since it is available for Windows, Ubuntu, and Red Hat-based distributions, you can recover your database on these systems directly. Alternatively, users on unsupported operating systems can copy the MySQL data folder to a supported Windows or Linux environment, repair it, and move it back.
After saving the repaired database in MySQL or MariaDB formats, this tool offers flexibility by allowing exports to various other file formats, such as SQL Script, CSV, HTML, and XLS. This feature is particularly crucial when repairing MySQL data on a system that does not have the MySQL or MariaDB server installed. The software features a user-friendly interface for navigation and includes a “Save log report” option, which is valuable for future forensic analysis.
However, there are trade-offs to consider. While it efficiently repairs the latest database versions, it is proprietary, premium software. The free trial only allows for scanning and previewing repaired data without applying changes, and the license key is relatively expensive compared to some alternatives. Furthermore, while the Windows version is highly stable, the Linux version currently has limitations, and users might find it necessary to move their data folder to a Windows environment to complete the repair process successfully.
To install the tool on Linux, download the appropriate package (Debian .deb or Red Hat .rpm) from the official product page. Navigate to your download directory via the terminal and execute the installation command:
for Ubuntu
sudo dpkg -i ./StellarRepairforMySQL-U.deb
for Red Hat
sudo rpm -i ./StellarRepairforMySQL.rpm
Once installed, launch the program. You will be prompted to provide the current logged-in username and password; ensure the user has sudo privileges to perform repairs without interruption.
For the repair process, it is recommended to stop your MySQL services and create a backup of your data folder (typically /var/lib/mysql) before proceeding. Open the tool, select your MySQL version, and provide the path to the data folder. The program will list the detected databases; simply select the target database and click “Repair.” The tool will scan for corruption and display a success message upon completion. If you need to uninstall the tool later, you can easily remove it using sudo apt remove stellarrepairformysql or sudo dnf remove stellarrepairformysql depending on your distribution.
In conclusion, the Stellar MySQL Database Recovery Tool works perfectly on Windows, but testing revealed difficulties on Linux. Attempts to select the target database on Linux resulted in “incorrect path” errors despite valid data. Moving the same data folder to Windows allowed the repair to proceed without issues. This suggests that while the tool is powerful, the Linux version is not fully optimized yet, and using the Windows version is currently the most reliable method for recovery.