Amazon Aurora MySQL 8.4 is now generally available

Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition now supports MySQL 8.4, a community MySQL Long Term Support (LTS) major version. Aurora MySQL 8.4 launches with compatibility for community MySQL 8.4.7 and introduces aligned version numbering, so the version number you run on Aurora matches the community MySQL version it is compatible with. Aurora also manages the underlying patch on your behalf, simplifying day-to-day operations. Aurora MySQL now targets major versions within 12 months of community MySQL LTS releases, minor versions within 3 months of each community minor, and an Aurora LTS minor within 12 months of each major. For engine specific release objectives, see the Aurora and RDS open source release calendar announcement.

Aurora MySQL 8.4 strengthens security defaults for new clusters. TLS is enforced by default with only TLS 1.2 and 1.3 supported, new accounts use the caching_sha2_password authentication plugin, and password validation policies are customizable through DB cluster parameter groups. Automated upgrade prechecks identify compatibility issues before your cluster goes offline, giving you confidence before you upgrade. To learn more about the Aurora MySQL 8.4 customer experience, refer to the Aurora MySQL 8.4 launch announcement blog.

You can upgrade your database using Amazon RDS Blue/Green Deployments, in-place upgrade, or restore from a snapshot. Learn more about performing major version upgrades in the Amazon Aurora User Guide. You can also migrate to Aurora MySQL 8.4 from external MySQL sources using AWS Database Migration Service or Percona XtraBackup. Aurora MySQL 8.4 is available in all AWS Regions where Aurora MySQL is available.

Amazon Aurora MySQL is designed for unparalleled high performance and availability at global scale with full MySQL compatibility. It provides scale-to-zero serverless compute, Aurora Global Database for Multi-Region resilience, Aurora I/O-Optimized for improved price performance on I/O-intensive workloads, and built-in security and continuous backups. To get started with Amazon Aurora, take a look at our getting started page.