> But surprisingly, not many threads show where these files exactly are in the server.

**There aren't, or at least, they are irrelevant if they exist to begin with.**

WordPress communicates with a database using SQL queries, usually via the Mysqli extension. As for how the database it's talking to stores its data, that's a huge subject that varies significantly.

For this reason, the actual location of the files is irrelevant for WordPress development and administration. The files themselves can only be used by the database software, are not designed for external tools to use, and can't be used for reliable backups.

If you need to get the data inside a database in file format, you dump/export it into SQL files. These files are the commands needed to recreate the database, its tables, and their contents. The actual files of the database are of no practical use.

## Where Would They Be?

Anywhere! Database storage location can be redirected to any folder on the system via configuration. It could even be on a different machine! Your host will know where this is, but it is of no practical use to you.

However, you're extremely unlikely to find them in home folders, or in the same folder as your website.

## What About Backups?

Useless! Even if you backed up the files and restored them, that's no guarantee you won't have data loss. Databases handle reads and writes carefully to optimise performances, so the files on the disk are in a state of flux, with various open and closed locks, and in memory buffers. Some of the files may actually be pipes not files/folders.

Doing it properly would mean shutting down the database server, and taking a snapshot of the entire environment.

Or, just doing a standard database export using the appropriate commands, usually `mysqldump`, or using a tool or plugin.