How to extract content from database How can I extract my content from the database?  My specific use case is to be able to migrate my content out of Drupal to do a 100% clean re-installation and then restore all my original content, but just in general, it seems to be a huge gap in the design of a content management system that I can put content in to be managed, but I can't get it back out again.

I understand that there are a myriad of variables in this use case such as module-specific tables that may contain some of my content.  I'm asking about the base case without regard to those individual considerations.  I would like to start simple; I can address additional, specific factors as they come up.

In searching online, I've only found workarounds to this issue.  I'm not asking about workarounds (eg. the Features module) or ways to do something else that is similar to my question.  Is it possible to extract my content from the database--at the very least, for the purpose of reloading it into a new, identical installation.

Put another way: in a vanilla installation, in what tables is the content stored?
There's almost certainly no such thing as "no individual considerations" on Drupal sites.

Even on a Drupal 7 site with no contributed or custom modules, this isn't easy to do.  You might have many content types, with all their fields and associated configuration.

Some tables you'll need to look at are node, node_type, node_revision, field_data_*, field_revision_*, maybe taxonomy_*, maybe others.

Migrate module, Feeds module, and others can help with this too, as Ayesh mentioned.