MySQL Releases
Track every MySQL release from latest stable to end-of-life. Version timelines, Oracle vs community forks, upgrade paths, and migration guidance.
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Total Versions
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Supported
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Latest
Version Timeline
All tracked releases with lifecycle status and EOL dates.
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Lifecycle Timeline
Visual overview of active support and maintenance windows.
Upgrade Paths
Migration guidance between major versions — breaking changes, effort estimates, and tips.
Breaking Changes
- Default auth plugin: caching_sha2_password (breaks older clients)
- utf8mb4 is the default character set
- Explicit GROUP BY required (ONLY_FULL_GROUP_BY default)
- Query optimizer changes may alter execution plans
- mysql_upgrade required (automatic since 8.0.16)
- Removed query cache
- JSON functions overhauled
Migration Notes
Run mysql-shell upgrade checker first (util.checkForServerUpgrade()). The auth plugin change breaks most PHP/Python/Node drivers unless updated. Test all queries — the optimizer changes can cause performance regressions on complex joins. Use mysql_native_password temporarily if clients cannot update.
Breaking Changes
- mysql_native_password plugin deprecated
- Binary log transaction compression default
- InnoDB redo log archiving changes
- Several deprecated functions removed
Migration Notes
More incremental than 5.7→8.0. Ensure all clients support caching_sha2_password. Test with mysql-shell upgrade checker. This is the target LTS — once you are here, you have support until 2032.
Version Risk Assessment
Evaluate risk factors before choosing a version for production.
| Version | EOL Risk | CVE Risk | Ecosystem | Cloud Support | Overall | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MySQL 5.7 | Critical | High | EOL | Dropping | Critical | EOL Oct 2023 — no patches, upgrade urgently |
| MySQL 8.0 | High | Low | Maintenance | Full | High | Extended support ends Apr 2026 — migrate to 8.4 LTS |
| MySQL 8.4 LTS | None | Low | Active | Full | Low | Recommended — supported until 2032 |
| MySQL 9.x Inn | High | Low | Innovation | Partial | High | Innovation track — not for production |
Risk combines EOL status, security patch availability, driver/ORM support, and cloud provider compatibility. Assessed as of March 2026.
MySQL Version Feature Comparison
Side-by-side feature differences across major versions.
| Feature | 5.7 | 8.0 | 8.4 LTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| JSON support | Basic | Full | Enhanced |
| Window functions | No | Stable | Stable |
| CTEs (WITH clause) | No | Stable | Stable |
| Default auth plugin | native_password | sha2_password | sha2_password |
| Default charset | latin1 | utf8mb4 | utf8mb4 |
| InnoDB Cluster | Basic | Stable | Enhanced |
| Hash joins | No | Stable | Stable |
| Invisible indexes | No | Stable | Stable |
| Multi-valued indexes | No | Stable | Stable |
| Binary log compression | No | Optional | Default |
| Query cache | Deprecated | Removed | Removed |
| Support ends | Oct 2023 | Apr 2026 | Apr 2032 |
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Add live MySQL status badges to your README, docs, or dashboard.
Health Status
Overall support health
EOL Countdown
Next end-of-life date
Latest Version
Current stable release
CVE Status
Known vulnerabilities
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about MySQL releases and lifecycle.