What It Is
A database is where a website keeps its information in an organized way. Picture a very tidy filing cabinet with labeled drawers and folders, except the computer can find any folder in a fraction of a second. On a WordPress site, the database holds your pages, blog posts, settings, user accounts and, if you sell online, products and orders. The files on the server hold the design and code, while the database holds the content.
Why It Matters for Your Business
This matters because the database is often the most valuable part of your site. If it is lost or damaged, your content and order history go with it. A tennis coach with an online lesson calendar, for example, keeps every booking in a database. A slow or bloated database can also make pages load slowly, especially on busy online stores.
Good to Know
Tip: make sure your backups include the database, not only the website files. Many people back up files and forget the database, then discover the copy has the design but none of the content. Test a restore at least once so you know it works.