Amazon Aurora MySQL 8.4 is now generally available
Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition now supports MySQL 8.4, enhancing security and simplifying operations. The service is available across all AWS Regions.
Amazon has announced the general availability of Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition now supporting MySQL 8.4, which is a major version under the community MySQL Long Term Support (LTS). This launch includes compatibility with community MySQL 8.4.7 and introduces a new system of aligned version numbering. This alignment ensures that the version number used on Aurora corresponds with the compatible community MySQL version. Moreover, Aurora takes over the management of the underlying patching process, thereby simplifying routine operational tasks for users.
Amazon Aurora MySQL now aims to align with major versions within 12 months of community MySQL LTS releases, minor versions within three months of each community minor update, and an Aurora LTS minor within a year of each major release. For more specific release objectives, users are encouraged to consult the Aurora and RDS open source release calendar announcement.
The latest Aurora MySQL 8.4 enhances security defaults for new clusters by enforcing TLS by default, supporting only TLS 1.2 and 1.3. Additionally, new accounts utilize the caching_sha2_password authentication plugin, and password validation policies can be customized via DB cluster parameter groups. Automated upgrade prechecks are also available to identify potential compatibility issues before a cluster goes offline, providing users with increased confidence when performing upgrades.
To explore the customer experience with Aurora MySQL 8.4, one can refer to the Aurora MySQL 8.4 launch announcement blog. Users have various options to upgrade their databases, including using Amazon RDS Blue/Green Deployments, in-place upgrades, or restoring from a snapshot. More information on conducting major version upgrades can be found in the Amazon Aurora User Guide. Additionally, migration to Aurora MySQL 8.4 from external MySQL sources is possible using AWS Database Migration Service or Percona XtraBackup.
Amazon Aurora MySQL 8.4 is accessible in all AWS Regions where Aurora MySQL is available. The service is engineered to deliver exceptional high performance and availability on a global scale while maintaining full MySQL compatibility. It offers features such as scale-to-zero serverless compute, Aurora Global Database for multi-region resilience, Aurora I/O-Optimized for enhanced price performance on I/O-intensive workloads, and integrated security and continuous backups. For those interested in getting started with Amazon Aurora, additional resources and guidance are available on the getting started page.