MySQL Lifecycle: End Of Life And Support Status
Last updated on April 18, 2024
MySQL is an open-source database management system created by Oracle. With its diversified utility and user convenience, it has become the most popular database management system ever.
MySQL is widely used for web-based databases and can contain any type of data, including images, text, and whatnot. MySQL uses multiple arrays of tables to compile data, instead of putting all data inside a single table.
Support status guide
End of life (EOL) is the end of a product’s useful life. When a product reaches the end of its life cycle, the manufacturer no longer supports it. The following table explains the different phases of a product’s lifecycle. Testing status is when the product is initially released and EOL is when product support is no longer offered. The time between these two points is the support timeframe.
Testing
The software is not yet publicly available. It is in testing phase i.e., alpha, beta, release preview etc.
Active
The software is actively supported by the vendor.
Phasing Out
The software will soon reach its end of life. You need to look for upgrade or migration options. The software will automatically go into phasing out status 2 months before end of life.
End Of Life
The software is no longer supported by the vendor. You need to make sure your system and environment are safe.
Version
Released
Active Support
Extended Support
(14 December 2023)
(12 October 2023)
(21 June 2023)
(25 October 2023)
(25 October 2023)
(18 April 2018)
(30 April 2025)
(30 April 2026)
(9 October 2015)
(31 October 2020)
(31 October 2023)
(1 February 2013)
(28 February 2018)
(28 February 2021)
(3 December 2010)
(31 December 2015)
(31 December 2018)
(14 November 2008)
(31 December 2013)
(31 December 2018)
As with all software, MySQL also comes in different versions. This means that all versions will sooner or later be out of support from Oracle, which is its End of Life.
Oracle provides three types of support tenures for the different MySQL versions:
- Premier (Active) support
- Extended Support
- Sustain(ing) support
Premier (Active) Support
The Premier support is the first and primary support that Oracle offers for 5 years after the MySQL version’s General Availability (GA). During this tenure, Oracle does maintenance releases, bug and performance fixes, security alerts and patches, and general updates.
Extended Support
The Extended support is offered for another 3 years after the Premier support has ended. During this tenure, Oracle performs error correction and does maintenance releases for the specific MySQL version. It also includes security fixes, bug fixes, and general updates.
Sustaining Support
The Sustaining support begins in the 9th year after the GA of the specific MySQL version. There is no fixed duration for support duration, mostly because it only includes pre-existing updates, fixes, and security alerts. It does not include any new releases or error corrections for new issues that occurred after the passing of the Extended support date.
MySQL version 8.1 is the first Innovation release, which offers quick fixes and new features as they come. However, version 8.0 has been shifted to the bug-fixes-only mode so that users on the LTS release do not experience bugs and other issues as often
If you want to try out the latest features first and aren’t afraid of a little instability, then the Innovation channel is the one for you.
EOLs
