There are a growing number of awkward compromises and blocked improvements or bug fixes that we have postponed investing in because we theoretically still support MySQL 5.5. I say theoretically, because it has been obsolete for quite a while now with afaik no human feedback or automated testing of any kind (e.g. from CI, active contributors, or beta testers).
Use cases
The last time we raised the MySQL requirement was in 2017, when we raised it from MySQL 5.0+ to 5.5+ in T161232. Some relevant tasks that have since stalled (in part or in whole due to lagging support)
- Fix corrupt heartbeat-lag warnings causing wikis to unexpectedly become read-only, required MySQL 5.6+. – T248481
- Use InnoDB engine for searchindex table, requires MySQL 5.6+. – T107875
Other related tasks that we should perhaps look at resolving while at it in this area:
- Support the GTID mechanism that ships with MySQL 5.6+. - T162050
- Allow temporary tables in more contexts. – T202245
- Recognise MariaDB with its own minimum supported version. - T237898
Upstream support tables
| Release | Stable release | Support end | Extended support end | Highest platform support |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MySQL 5.5 | Dec 2010 - Oct 2018 (5.5.8 - 5.5.62) | Dec 2015 | Dec 2018 | None |
| MySQL 5.6 | Feb 2013 - … (5.6.10+) | Feb 2018 | Feb 2021 | Debian 9, Windows 2016 (no macOS, no Ubuntu) |
| MySQL 5.7 | Oct 2015 - … (5.7.9+) | Oct 2020 | Oct 2023 | Debian 10, Ubuntu 18, Windows 10, Windows 2016 (no macOS) |
| MySQL 8.0 | Apr 2018 - … (8.0.11+) | April 2023 | April 2026 | Debian 10, Ubuntu 20, Windows 10, Windows 2019, macOS 11 |
Support dates:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MySQL#Release_history
- http://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-technology-069183.pdf
Platforms and EOL:
- https://www.mysql.com/support/supportedplatforms/database.html
- https://www.mysql.com/support/eol-notice.html
Release dates and changelog: