You can export the Optimizely Content Management System (CMS) or Optimizely Customized Commerce database to a _bacpac_ file using the API or using the PaaS portal. See also [Export the Database to Bacpac File](🔗) to use the UI.
When you export a database, it triggers an export job for the requested database. The export job copies the requested database from the requested environment to a new database in the Integration environment to avoid performance issues in the production environment when the export runs. After this, it exports to a bacpac file from the copied database, and stores the bacpac on BLOB storage.
Note
The Export Database process can take from a few hours to several days (in extreme cases). You can export only one database at a time.
# Export the database to bacpac file using API
## Operations
### Export database
#### Request
**POST** api/v1.0/projects/{projectId}/environments/{environment}/databases/{databaseName}/exports
#### Parameters
| Name | Type | Description |
| databaseName | string | The name of the requested database Valid names: epicms, epicommerce |
| environment | string | The name of the environment of the requested database |
| projectId | Guid | The identifier of the project of the requested database |
#### Body
| Name | Tyoe | Description |
| retentionHours | int | Total hours that the bacpac is retained in the bacpacs container Default value: 24 |
#### Response
### Get export database
This API gets the information about the export job that is triggered by an export database operation.
#### Request
**GET** api/v1.0/projects/{projectId}/environments/{environment}/databases/{databaseName}/exports/id
#### Parameter
| Name | Type | Description |
| id | Guid | The identifier of the export job |
#### Response
(Same as a response for Export database operation.)
### Test tools
Postman
Epicloud
Start-EpiDatabaseExport
Get-EpiDatabaseExport
Swagger
swagger/ui/index