MySQL — Drop Database

Basic DROP DATABASE

DROP DATABASE mydb;

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS

DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS mydb;

Examples

-- Drop a database
DROP DATABASE testdb;

-- Drop if exists
DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS old_database;

-- Drop multiple databases
DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS db1;
DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS db2;
DROP DATABASE IF EXISTS db3;

-- Show remaining databases
SHOW DATABASES;

Warning

-- This will delete ALL data!
DROP DATABASE mydb;

-- Always backup first!
-- mysqldump -u root -p mydb > backup.sql

Best Practices

1. Always backup before dropping
2. Use IF EXISTS to avoid errors
3. Verify the database name
4. Check for dependencies
5. Use transactions when possible

Mini Practice

Write MySQL code that:

1. Drops a database
2. Drops if exists
3. Shows remaining databases
4. Creates a backup before dropping

Up Next

Next: Learn about Tables.