MySQL 8.0 reaches end-of-life: how to check version and migrate to 8.4 LTS or MariaDB

If you manage servers running MySQL, 2026 is the year when version 8.0 stops receiving security patches. This is not a theoretical deadline: according to Oracle's official advisory, under Oracle's Lifetime Support policy, from 21 April 2026 MySQL 8.0 is covered only by Oracle Sustaining Support. For the Community Edition—what runs on most Linux hosting servers—this means one thing in practice: no new security patches. If a CVE is discovered after that date, it remains unpatched.

How to check if you're still using it

First step, on your server: check the installed version.

mysql --version

Or, from within the client:

SELECT VERSION();

On Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04, the package from official Ubuntu repositories (the universe repository) typically installs MySQL 8.0.x; if you've added Oracle's APT repository, you might already have 8.4 or an Innovation release 9.x. If the command returns a string starting with 8.0., you're in the window for which patches will stop.

What "no security patches" actually means

It doesn't mean the server stops working the day after. It means that from that date onwards, if a vulnerability is discovered in MySQL 8.0 code, it remains there, exploitable, without Oracle releasing a fix for the Community Edition. For a server exposed to the Internet, with a database containing credentials or customer data, this is a risk that accumulates month after month, not a one-off event.

The two migration paths

Option 1: MySQL 8.4 LTS

This is the path recommended by Oracle itself for those wanting to stay within the MySQL ecosystem. Oracle MySQL 8.4 reaches end-of-life on 30 April 2032, with standard support ending on 30 April 2029 and extended support on 30 April 2032. It's the route with the least friction: same client protocol, same connectors, same compatible binaries.

On Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, the upgrade requires adding the official MySQL APT repository (not Ubuntu's, which stays at 8.0), upgrading the package and running the post-upgrade verification that Oracle provides with mysql_upgrade (or the equivalent built into newer versions).

Option 2: MariaDB 11.8 LTS

For those wanting to exit the Oracle ecosystem, MariaDB remains the most common alternative, being a direct fork of MySQL. According to endoflife.date data, MariaDB 11.8 (LTS), released on 4 June 2025, receives community support until 4 June 2028, with critical security fixes provided on a best-effort basis for a further two years beyond that date for community edition users.

Comparing the two options

	MySQL 8.4 LTS	MariaDB 11.8 LTS
Release	10 April 2024	4 June 2025
Premier/community support	until 30 April 2029	until 4 June 2028
Extended support	until 30 April 2032	critical fixes best-effort until 2030
Compatibility with 8.0	binary, same protocol	partial drop-in, not complete

The incompatibilities MariaDB doesn't hide

Before migrating, the reference source to consult is the official MariaDB documentation, not third-party blogs. MariaDB publishes dedicated incompatibility pages for every version combination, including the specific one between MariaDB 11.8 and MySQL 8.0, with separate lists for function and system variable differences. One historical example that remains valid: MariaDB doesn't support MySQL's "packed" JSON objects; MariaDB follows the SQL standard and saves JSON as regular TEXT/BLOB—a detail that anyone with JSON columns must verify before cutover, not after.

The dump/restore path

Whether you go with 8.4 or MariaDB, the migration procedure via logical dump is essentially the same:

mysqldump --all-databases --routines --triggers --events > backup_completo.sql

on the source server, then on the destination server (already updated or already with MariaDB installed):

mysql < backup_completo.sql

After the restore, always verify with mysql_upgrade (on MySQL) or the equivalent mariadb-upgrade (on MariaDB), and check the startup logs for any warnings about deprecated functions or unrecognised variables: that's where incompatibilities listed in the documentation will surface.

The next jump, already marked

Anyone choosing MariaDB today should know that 11.8 won't be the last long-term release: according to endoflife.date, from version 12.3 onwards—expected in Q2 2026—the release scheme changes, and the ".3" release of each major version becomes the new LTS. It's not a problem for those migrating now, but it's a data point to keep in mind for the next planning cycle.