MySQL 8.4 LTS Released — First Long Term Support Version

Oracle introduces long-term support releases to MySQL with version 8.4 — committing to 5 years of Premier Support and 3 years of Extended Support. This is a major shift for MySQL in enterprise environments.

What LTS Means for MySQL

• 5 years Premier Support — bug fixes and security patches until 2029
• 3 years Extended Support — security patches only until 2032
• No disruptive new features during LTS period
• Predictable upgrade cycles for enterprises

Key Changes in MySQL 8.4

-- EXPLAIN FORMAT=JSON improvements
EXPLAIN FORMAT=JSON SELECT * FROM orders WHERE status = 'pending';

-- New: EXPLAIN INTO variable
EXPLAIN INTO @explain_output SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 10;
SELECT @explain_output;

Deprecated Features Removed

-- These no longer work in 8.4:
-- mysql_native_password as default auth (use caching_sha2_password)
ALTER USER 'user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH caching_sha2_password BY 'password';

-- GROUP BY implicit sorting removed
-- Add explicit ORDER BY to queries that relied on this

Upgrade Path

# Check compatibility before upgrading
mysqlcheck --all-databases --check-upgrade -u root -p

# Upgrade via apt
sudo apt install mysql-server-8.4

Conclusion

MySQL 8.4 LTS is the right choice for production environments needing stability guarantees. Our team manages MySQL and MariaDB database servers for clients in 40+ countries.