# MariaDB support timeline 2026–2029: which LTS should your servers run? Source: https://srvscripts.com/guides/mariadb-support-timeline-2026-2029/ Updated: 2026-10-03 Publisher: srvScripts (https://srvscripts.com/) MariaDB changed its release model in 2024 and the consequences are now fully visible: instead of every version being supported for five years, there are short-lived rolling releases and, once a year, a long-term-support release that gets three years. For a hosting provider that means the “install and forget for half a decade” habit is gone, and the fleet needs a version policy rather than a version. This guide lays out the dates as they stand on 29 September 2026 and turns them into a policy you can apply. In short: As of late September 2026, MariaDB 10.6 is unsupported, 10.11 runs until February 2028, 11.8 until June 2028, and 11.4 and 12.3 until May and June 2029; 13.0 is a rolling release leading to a 13.3 LTS around mid-2027. **Short answer:** As of late September 2026, MariaDB 10.6 is unsupported, 10.11 runs until February 2028, 11.8 until June 2028, and 11.4 and 12.3 until May and June 2029; 13.0 is a rolling release leading to a 13.3 LTS around mid-2027. Run an LTS with at least eighteen months of support left: 11.8 on cPanel until WHM adds 12.3, and 12.3 on DirectAdmin and standalone servers. Never put a `.0`, `.1` or `.2` rolling release on a customer-facing server, and keep the maintenance patch level current because that is where the security fixes are. ## The versioning scheme Each yearly series has four minor versions. The `.0`, `.1` and `.2` releases are rolling: supported roughly until the next one ships, meant for early adopters and testing. The `.3` release is the LTS, supported for three years. So 12.0, 12.1 and 12.2 were stepping stones and 12.3 is what production runs. The same pattern is under way with 13.0, released on 15 September 2026, which will lead to a 13.3 LTS around mid-2027. Do not run a rolling release on a customer-facing server. They are fine for a staging box where you want to see what the next LTS will break. ## Where each version stands - 10.6: end of life 6 July 2026, final release 10.6.28. Unsupported now. - 10.11 LTS: supported until February 2028, currently 10.11.19. cPanel’s default for new installs. - 11.4 LTS: supported until May 2029, currently 11.4.13. - 11.8 LTS: supported until June 2028, currently 11.8.9. - 12.3 LTS: released 28 May 2026, supported until June 2029, currently 12.3.3. - 13.0: rolling, released 15 September 2026. Note the oddity: 11.4 outlives 11.8 by nearly a year because the LTS windows were set at different points in the model change. If you want the longest runway from an 11.x install, 11.4 is it; if you want the newer features (VECTOR, `VEC_DISTANCE_*`, better JSON), 11.8 is the last 11.x LTS. The quarterly maintenance releases came out on 24 August 2026 across every supported series. Check each server against the current patch level: ``` mariadb -e "SELECT VERSION();" dnf list installed | grep -iE 'mariadb|MariaDB-server' ``` ## What the panels support cPanel on AlmaLinux 8 and 9 offers MySQL 8.0 and 8.4 and MariaDB 10.5 through 11.8 in the WHM upgrade workflow; on AlmaLinux 10 the list narrows to MySQL 8.4 and MariaDB 10.11, 11.4 and 11.8; Ubuntu 24.04 gets MySQL 8.0 and 8.4 and MariaDB 10.6 through 11.8. 12.3 is not available in WHM yet. New cPanel installs default to 10.11. DirectAdmin’s CustomBuild tracks 10.6, 10.11, 11.4, 11.8 and 12.3, plus MySQL 8.0 and 8.4, and dropped MySQL 5.7 and MariaDB 10.3 in 1.693. It expects you to move through LTS versions in order rather than skipping. Standalone servers using the upstream repository can run anything on the list. ## A version policy for a hosting fleet Run an LTS that has at least eighteen months of support remaining. That single rule produces sensible decisions: - A server on 10.6 is overdue; move to 11.8 (cPanel) or 12.3 (DirectAdmin, standalone) now, following the [10.6 upgrade paths guide](/guides/mariadb-10-6-end-of-life/). - A server on 10.11 has until February 2028, which is already inside the eighteen-month window; it is not urgent, but schedule its move for the first half of 2027 rather than letting it drift. - A server on 11.4 or 12.3 is fine until 2028 planning. - A server on 11.8 is fine, but note its June 2028 date is earlier than 11.4’s, so the 11.8 fleet moves to 13.3 or 12.3 in early 2027. New builds: 11.8 on cPanel until WHM adds 12.3, and 12.3 on DirectAdmin and standalone. Pin the choice in your provisioning scripts: ``` da build set mysql_inst mariadb da build set mariadb 12.3 ``` ## Watching the dates Put the end-of-life dates into the same calendar or monitoring system that tracks certificate expiry and operating-system EOL. A simple cron that compares the running major version against a small table and emails when the remaining support drops below a threshold is enough: ``` mariadb -N -e "SELECT SUBSTRING_INDEX(VERSION(),'.',2);" ``` Feed that into whatever fleet inventory you keep; the [MySQL health snapshot script](/scripts/mysql-health-snapshot/) already records the version per server so the comparison can be done centrally. ## Common pitfall Reading “12.3.3” as a minor point release that can wait. Within an LTS series the third number is the maintenance release, and those carry the security fixes. A server on 12.3.0 is missing every fix since May. Keep the patch level current through the normal package update cycle; on cPanel that is `upcp` and `/scripts/update-packages`, on DirectAdmin it is `da build mariadb` after `da build update`, and on standalone servers it is `dnf update MariaDB-server` followed by a restart in a maintenance window. ## Keep it running Once a quarter, run the version query across the fleet, compare each result against the list above, and act on anything within eighteen months of its date. Each new LTS arrives around May or June; when one does, put it on the staging server within a month so that by the time you need it the [what-breaks](/guides/mariadb-12-3-lts-what-breaks/) list for your own applications is already written. ## MariaDB support timeline at a glance **Official documentation:** [MariaDB documentation](https://mariadb.com/docs/), [endoflife.date](https://endoflife.date/), [Linux man pages](https://man7.org/linux/man-pages/). **Related guides:** [MySQL 8.4 vs 9.7 LTS: what hosting admins need to know](https://srvscripts.com/guides/mysql-8-4-vs-9-7-lts/) · [Fix “Too many connections” on MariaDB/MySQL (cPanel)](https://srvscripts.com/guides/fix-mysql-too-many-connections-cpanel/) · [caching_sha2_password in MariaDB 12: fixing MySQL 8 client compatibility](https://srvscripts.com/guides/caching-sha2-password-mariadb-12/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Which MariaDB version is supported the longest right now? 11.4 and 12.3, both supported into mid-2029: 11.4 until May 2029 and 12.3 until June 2029. 11.4 outlives 11.8 by nearly a year because the LTS windows were set at different points in the release-model change, so 11.4 is the longest runway within 11.x. ### Is MariaDB 13.0 safe for production hosting servers? No. 13.0 is a rolling release supported only until the next minor ships, intended for early adopters and staging. Wait for the 13.3 LTS, expected around mid-2027, and use 13.0 only on a staging server to find out what the next LTS will break. ### How long will MariaDB 10.11 be supported? Until February 2028. Servers on 10.11 are not urgent, but that date is already inside an eighteen-month planning window, so schedule the move to 11.8 or 12.3 for the first half of 2027 rather than letting it drift.