MySQL 8.0 Reaches End of Life as Oracle Ships MySQL 9.7 LTS and Moves to Calendar Versions

MySQL 8.0 sits underneath a great many websites and business applications that are in production today. On April 21, 2026, Oracle published its final update, version 8.0.46, and the MySQL 8.0 release notes now state that with this version MySQL 8.0 reaches End of Life.

On the same day Oracle released MySQL 9.7.0, the next long-term support line, and its documentation confirms a switch to calendar-based version numbers for everything after it. If your product was built with PHP and Laravel development, WordPress, Magento or a Node.js backend, there is a good chance MySQL sits underneath it.

This article explains what changed, what is confirmed and what is not, and how to plan an upgrade without disrupting a live system.

What Oracle announced

Three things are confirmed on Oracle's MySQL documentation site.

First, the MySQL 8.0 release notes list version 8.0.46 with a release date of April 21, 2026, and carry a notice that, as of April 2026 with that version, MySQL 8.0 reaches End of Life. The same notice encourages 8.0 users to upgrade to the latest MySQL 8.4 LTS or a MySQL Innovation release.

Second, the MySQL 9.7.0 release notes are also dated April 21, 2026. Oracle's page on MySQL releases refers to this line as 9.7 LTS.

Third, that same page says MySQL 9.7 is the final release line using the old sequential numbering. Later releases use calendar versioning in a YY.M format.

What end of life means in practice

End of life does not switch anything off. A MySQL 8.0 server keeps running exactly as it did the day before. What stops is the supply of new releases for that version line, and 8.0.46 is the last one listed.

The risk builds over time. When a vulnerability is found in database software, supported versions receive a fix. A version that has reached end of life does not appear in that process, so the gap between your server and a secure one widens with each disclosure.

There is also a compliance angle. Security questionnaires from enterprise customers, cyber insurance applications and audits commonly ask whether you run supported software. This is general guidance, not legal advice, and the exact obligations depend on your contracts and sector.

The two release tracks: LTS and Innovation

Oracle's releases page describes two tracks, and both are described as production-grade.

An LTS (long-term support) series follows the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy, which the page describes as five years of premier support and three years of extended support. LTS releases receive only necessary fixes, and the page states there are no feature removals within an LTS series.

An Innovation release is supported only until the next Innovation release. The page says behavior changes are expected on this track as code is refactored and deprecated functionality is removed.

For most business applications the LTS track is the sensible default. Stability and a long support window matter more than early access to new features, and an Innovation release commits you to upgrading every time a new one appears.

MySQL 9.7 and the move to calendar versions

The MySQL 9.7.0 release notes describe several additions. The Hypergraph Optimizer, a newer query planner, is now available in the free Community Edition. Community Server now supports insert, update and delete operations on JSON duality views, which present relational tables as JSON documents. Authentication gains support for a PBKDF2 storage format with the caching_sha2_password plugin, and several replication monitoring components that were previously Enterprise features are now in the Community Edition.

The numbering change is easy to misread. According to the releases page, YY is the year and M is the scheduled release month, and it gives MySQL 26.7 as the example name for the July 2026 release and MySQL 27.7 for July 2027. A jump from 9.7 to 26.7 is therefore a naming change, not seventeen major versions of difference.

If your hosting panel, monitoring tool or deployment script compares MySQL version numbers, it is worth confirming that it handles the new format.

The upgrade path from MySQL 8.0

The releases page states that upgrading to the next LTS series is supported, giving 8.4 LTS to 9.7 LTS as the example, and that skipping an LTS series is not supported. Combined with the 8.0 notice that points users to MySQL 8.4 LTS, the practical route for an 8.0 system is to move to 8.4 first and consider 9.7 as a later, separate step.

The move from 8.0 to 8.4 is not a simple patch. Oracle's summary of what is new in MySQL 8.4 lists changes that can stop an application from connecting or starting:

• The older mysql_native_password authentication plugin is no longer enabled by default, which affects applications and client libraries that still log in with it
• The default_authentication_plugin setting is removed in favor of authentication_policy, and the expire_logs_days setting is removed, so old configuration files can cause errors
• Replication commands that used the older MASTER and SLAVE wording are removed in favor of SOURCE and REPLICA equivalents
• Several InnoDB defaults change, and weak TLS ciphers are no longer accepted

None of these is difficult on its own. The effort lies in finding which ones apply to your system, and that requires testing.

What this means for your business

This section is our interpretation and guidance.

If you host MySQL yourself, on a virtual server or your own hardware, the end of life notice applies to you directly and the upgrade is your responsibility. If you use a managed database from a cloud provider or a shared hosting plan, the provider sets its own schedule. Some providers offer extended support at extra cost and some force upgrades on a set date, so read your provider's notices instead of assuming Oracle's dates apply.

Older applications carry the most risk. A site built several years ago may depend on an old PHP version, an old database driver or a plugin that assumes MySQL 8.0 behavior. In those cases the database upgrade can expose a chain of other overdue updates, and it is better to learn that in a test environment.

The cost of the work is driven by the number of databases and environments, the age of the application code and its libraries, whether you use replication, how much downtime the business can accept, and how good your automated tests are.

What to do next

Begin with an inventory. Ask your developer or hosting provider which MySQL version each environment runs, and who is responsible for upgrading it.

Next, build a copy of production on MySQL 8.4 and run the application against it. Check how each application account authenticates, review the configuration file for removed settings, and test replication and backups, including a restore.

Then plan the cutover with a rollback option and a recent, tested backup. Once you are stable on 8.4, you can evaluate 9.7 LTS on its own timeline.

Conclusion

MySQL 8.0 reached end of life with version 8.0.46 on April 21, 2026, the same day MySQL 9.7.0 was released. Oracle's documentation points 8.0 users to MySQL 8.4 LTS, and future releases will carry calendar-style version numbers. Systems still on 8.0 should be scheduled for a tested upgrade.

Entrant Technologies builds websites, web applications, mobile apps and custom software. If you want an estimate for upgrading an existing application and its database, you can request a quote.