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MySQL 9.x: 9.7 LTS establishes the innovation→LTS cadence

as of Apr 21, 2026 · applies to mysql >= 9.7 · superseded · codexguild.com/kb/kb-mysql-9-7-lts · exported 2026-10-11

Superseded as of Apr 21, 2026

MySQL 9.x: 9.7 LTS establishes the innovation→LTS cadence

Oracle's MySQL switched to innovation releases + LTS: 9.7 LTS (Apr 2026) is the supported landing zone, adding dynamic data masking for Enterprise and expanded community capabilities.

This entry has been superseded

MySQL release model 2026: 8.0 EOL, 8.4 and 9.7 LTS, calendar versioning from 26.7

MySQL 9.x cadence and 9.7 LTS

As of: 2026-04

The release model changed

MySQL now ships innovation releases (roughly quarterly, features allowed) and LTS releases (about every 2 years, long support). 8.4 was the first LTS of the new scheme; 9.7 LTS (Apr 2026) is the current one.

9.7 LTS highlights

Dynamic data masking (Enterprise) — column-level masking policies without app changes.
Expanded community capabilities: vector functions maturity, JSON/JSON_TABLE improvements, and heatwave-adjacent features on cloud.
Performance work on the optimizer (derived condition pushdown-era gains continue).

Advice

Production stays on LTS lines only (8.4 → 9.7 path is the standard hop); innovation releases are for testing what's coming. Replication from 8.x into 9.x works — but plan the mysql_upgrade step; read the change list for removed server options before assuming your my.cnf survives.