Can You Safely Ignore the MySQL 8.0 End of Life Deadline?
MySQL is a very common open-source database. Many business apps and websites use it every day. But there is a clear problem ahead: MySQL 8.0 will stop getting support on April 30, 2026.
Right now, many teams still run their systems on MySQL 8.0. The deadline is getting closer, but a large number of applications have not moved to a newer version yet. This creates risk for IT leaders and business owners who depend on these systems.
Experts are warning IT managers to act now. They say this should be a priority, not a task that keeps sitting on a long to-do list.
The tech news site The Register covered this topic in an article called “The clock’s ticking for MySQL 8.0 as end of life looms.” That article is what brought attention to the issue and made it clear this cannot wait much longer.
Peter Zaitsev, from Percona (a company that supports open-source databases and offers Database-as-a-Service), gave an important warning. In his data, more than half of all MySQL databases he sees are still running on MySQL 8.0. The official MySQL support page shows that MySQL 8.0, which is a Long-Term Support (LTS) version, will reach its final support date on April 30, 2026.
The Register also shared data from PMM, Percona’s open-source database monitoring and management tool. The numbers show:
- 58% of MySQL and MariaDB databases are running on MySQL 8.0
- 18.8% are still running on MySQL 5.7, which lost support in 2023
This means two worrying things:
- Many databases are already out of support (like MySQL 5.7).
- Many more will be out of support soon (like MySQL 8.0 in 2026).
When a database is out of support:
- It no longer receives security patches.
- Bugs may not be fixed.
- New threats can cause more damage.
- Compliance and audit checks may fail.
In simple terms, unsupported databases increase the chance of:
- Data leaks
- System downtime
- Extra costs for emergency fixes
- Loss of customer trust
Peter Zaitsev also shared one important piece of good news. Moving from MySQL 8.0 to MySQL 8.4 (the latest stable LTS version) is much easier than the old jump from 5.7 to 8.0. The upgrade path is smoother, with fewer breaking changes, so planning and testing are more manageable if teams start early.
Why IT leaders should act now
If your systems still run on MySQL 8.0, this is a good time to:
- Check all databases and list which versions you use.
- Identify critical apps that depend on MySQL 8.0 or 5.7.
- Plan an upgrade to MySQL 8.4 before April 30, 2026.
- Set up test environments to try the upgrade safely.
- Involve app owners, developers, and security teams early.
Waiting until the last minute can:
- Increase stress for your team.
- Raise project costs.
- Limit time for proper testing.
- Make outages more likely during the change.
Planning early helps protect:
- Business continuity
- Data security
- Customer trust
- Compliance with industry and legal standards
So the key question is simple: Is MySQL 8.0 still at the heart of your systems? If the answer is yes, now is the time to prepare your move to MySQL 8.4, before support ends and risk grows.