diff --git a/scripts/backup_sql.sh b/scripts/backup_sql.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..870d86c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/backup_sql.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+#
+# this backs up the database from the wikibase-docker_mysql_1 container
+# gnd, 2020
+#######################################################################
+
+# set some parameters here
+DATUM=`date +%D|sed 's/\//_/g'`
+CONTAINER="wikibase-docker_mysql_1"
+DB_USER="SECRET USER NAME"
+DB_PASS="SECRET PASSWORD"
+DB_NAME="SECRET DB NAME"
+
+# dump database
+echo "Dumping $DB_NAME"
+docker exec $CONTAINER mysqldump -u $DB_USER -p$DB_PASS $DB_NAME -r /tmp/$DB_NAME-$DATUM.sql
+
+# copy db dump to /root
+echo "Copying $DB_NAME"
+docker cp $CONTAINER:/tmp/$DB_NAME-$DATUM.sql /root/$DB_NAME-$DATUM.sql
+
+# delete the dump from the container to save up space
+docker exec $CONTAINER rm /tmp/$DB_NAME-$DATUM.sql
+
+# done !
+echo "Done"