MySQL 8.0 is now end-of-life — here's the version map you actually need

MySQL 8.0 reached end of life on April 30, 2026. That's the one that matters: 8.0 has been the default MySQL since 2018, so a huge share of production databases just stopped getting security patches from Oracle. If mysql:8.0 is anywhere in your stack, you're now running unsupported software.

Here's the version map, with EOL Risk Scores (0–100) from endoflife.ai:

Version	Type	EOL	Status	Risk
MySQL 5.5	Legacy	Dec 31, 2018	EOL	90
MySQL 5.6	Legacy	Feb 28, 2021	EOL	90
MySQL 5.7	Legacy	Oct 31, 2023	EOL	90
MySQL 8.0	Series	Apr 30, 2026	EOL	75
MySQL 8.4	LTS	Apr 30, 2032	Current LTS	50

The Innovation-vs-LTS trap

This is the part that catches people. In 2023 Oracle split MySQL into two release tracks, and the version number no longer tells you how long a release is supported.

LTS releases (currently 8.4) get ~8 years of support. This is what you run in production.
Innovation releases (8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and the entire 9.x series) ship quarterly and are supported only until the next release lands — roughly three months each.

So MySQL 9.2 looks newer than 8.4, but 8.4 is supported into 2032 while 9.2 went EOL within months. MySQL 9.0 reached EOL back in October 2024. If you adopted a 9.x release and aren't upgrading every single quarter, you're already on an EOL build with a Critical-tier risk profile.

Rule of thumb: unless quarterly upgrades are genuinely part of your ops model, stay on the LTS (8.4) and let the new features arrive in the next LTS.

What to do

On 8.0? Upgrade to 8.4 LTS — it's the supported, in-place path Oracle designed for exactly this transition.
On 5.7? Bigger jump. Plan straight to 8.4, using 8.0 as a compatibility checkpoint, not a destination. Watch the caching_sha2_password default, SQL mode changes, and the data dictionary migration.
Run the check first: mysqlsh → util.checkForServerUpgrade() against a staging copy surfaces deprecated syntax, removed features, and collation changes before you commit.
Managed MySQL (RDS, Aurora, Azure, Cloud SQL) tracks these dates differently — some extend past Oracle's community EOL, some don't. Confirm your provider's specific dates.

Check your whole stack, not just MySQL

MySQL is one clock. Your OS, runtime, and other dependencies each have their own. You can score your full dependency file at once with the free Stack Scanner (no signup), or read the complete version-by-version breakdown here:

Full guide: MySQL End-of-Life Dates — every version

Dates and risk scores sourced from the open endoflife.date dataset; risk scoring and CISA KEV cross-reference by endoflife.ai.