Yuan Yao, An Oracle ACE's Blog

MySQL uses two release tracks: Long-Term Support (LTS) and Innovation. Oracle announced this model on July 18, 2023, beginning with MySQL 8.1. The two tracks allow administrators to choose between a stable, long-lived release line and rapid access to new functionality.

Two MySQL Release Tracks

Long-Term Support (LTS)

An LTS release is intended for production systems that prioritize operational stability, a predictable maintenance cadence, and a longer support period. An LTS series receives bug fixes and security fixes, but it does not receive the new features introduced in later Innovation releases.

Under the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy, an LTS release is eligible for five years of Premier Support followed by three years of Extended Support.

Innovation

An Innovation release is intended for users who require the latest MySQL features, improvements, and behavioral changes. It includes bug fixes as well as new functionality. Support for an Innovation release ends when the next Innovation release becomes available; therefore, remaining on this track requires regular upgrades.

Both tracks are production-quality releases. The appropriate choice depends on the organization’s tolerance for upgrade frequency and its need for recently introduced capabilities.

For the authoritative description of the release model, see MySQL Releases: Innovation and LTS.

Release History

The following table summarizes the principal MySQL release lines from MySQL 8.0 onward.

MySQL 9.7 is the final release line that uses the earlier sequential versioning scheme. Later releases use calendar versioning in the form YY.M; for example, 26.7 denotes a release from July 2026.

Based on the two-year interval between MySQL 8.4 and MySQL 9.7, the next LTS series is predicted to be MySQL 28.4, corresponding to April 2028 under calendar versioning. This is a forecast only; Oracle has not announced the release, and its version number and release date are subject to change.

Interpreting MySQL Version Numbers

Under the former release-name format, a version such as mysql-8.4.0 contains three numeric components:

• The first component (8) is the major version number.
• The second component (4) identifies the release series. It remains fixed throughout an LTS series and changes for each Innovation series.
• The third component (0) is the release number within the series. It increases for maintenance releases in an LTS series and is normally 0 for an Innovation release.

For example, 8.4.0, 8.4.1, and later 8.4.x releases, including 8.4.11, all belong to the same LTS series. In contrast, a new Innovation series is identified by a changed second component, such as the progression from 8.1 to 8.2.

Calendar-versioned releases use YY.M for the series, followed by the maintenance-release number when applicable. For example, 26.7.0 identifies the first release in the July 2026 Innovation series.

Identifying the Installed Release Maturity

You can also determine whether an installed binary belongs to the LTS or Innovation track without starting the server. The INFO_SRC file records the source branch and release maturity. Its location varies by package and operating system; for RPM installations, it is commonly located beneath /usr/share/doc/.

The following example identifies MySQL 9.6.0 as an Innovation release:

$ cat /usr/share/doc/mysql-community-server/INFO_SRC
commit: 0ec13c534ef656e980a90ed5b2025ed65c9cb461
date: 2025-12-15 14:27:36 +0100
build-date: 2025-12-15 13:35:32 +0000
short: 0ec13c534ef6
branch: mysql-9.6.0-release
MySQL source 9.6.0
MySQL release maturity INNOVATION