I deleted my MySQL database for my wordpress website which has about 8 years worth of data on it.
I am in talks with my host who say they can restore it from a backup but initial developments suggest they think they can just make a new one and it will work again which of course it cant.
Have i lost all my work or can it be done?
This is why taking your own backups is important.
I wish there was more I could tell you. You’re already in talks with the host. If you haven’t been taking your own backups then you’re at their mercy.
You did not keep your own backups? If your web host has a backup and it is not corrupted or anything, they should be able to restore it. That said, I have seen instances where the host thought they had a backup but for whatever reason were not able to restore it. There is no excuse for any webmaster not to have backups of their critical data. It is ultimately the responsibility of the webmaster to keep backups regardless of what the host does, even if a third-party backup service is used. Crap happens. Hopefully in your case you will get a backup restored. Good luck.