# Percona XtraBackup binaries overview

Percona XtraBackup is a set of the following binaries:

* [xtrabackup](xtrabackup-binary-overview.md) - a compiled *C* binary that provides functionality to back up a *MySQL* database instance with *MyISAM*, *InnoDB*, and *XtraDB* tables.

* [xbcrypt](xbcrypt-binary-overview.md) - a utility used for encrypting and decrypting backup files.

* [xbstream](xbstream-binary-overview.md) - a utility that allows streaming and extracting files to / from the xbstream format.

* [xbcloud](xbcloud-binary-overview.md) - a utility used for downloading and uploading full or part of *xbstream* archive from / to cloud.

The recommended way to take the backup is by using the *xtrabackup* script. For more information on script options, see [xtrabackup](xtrabackup-binary-overview.md).