Changes in MariaDB's Update Schedule

If your Linux distro uses MariaDB Community Server, take note of significant changes made to how MariaDB is distributed to millions of users across the globe – specifically the schedule for feature updates. The previous schedule followed a five-year end-of-life term with updates once per year and five years of support. MariaDB's new schedule provides major updates quarterly with only one year of support.

Why the Change In Schedules? 

MariaDB's developers wanted to deliver new features without users having to wait a full year for the next feature update. Developers note that this quarterly update schedule produces better quality software because the QA department is motivated to get the features to users. Frequent updates mean more innovation and higher overall quality.

What Does This Mean For CloudLinux OS Users?

CloudLinux OS will only support long-term MariaDB updates. The latest version of MariaDB that CloudLinux MySQL governor supports is version 10.6 and is supported until July 2026. MariaDB versions 10.7, 10.8, and 10.9 will reach end-of-life sometime in 2023 with no additional long-term support. As a heads-up, it would be prudent to consider these issues for the next infrastructure updates.

MariaDB's developers left the door open for case-by-case long-term support based on user needs. Versions outside of the schedule and still highly demanded by CloudLinux customers will be supported. If you would like to request the needed short-term version support, feel free to add comments on our features portal.