Jonathan Desrosiers 2:28 pm on December 8, 2023
Tags: INSERT

Raising the minimum version of MySQL required in WordPress 6.5

With the release of WordPress 3.2 in 2011, the minimum version of MySQLMySQL MySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. required to run the software was updated from 4.1.2 to 5.0. While the recommended version of MySQL (or MariaDB) is frequently updated to suggest using only officially supported versions, the same has not happened for the required version and this minimum has remained the same since.

MySQL 5.0 was initially made generally available in 2005 and reached its end of life (EOL) in January of 2012, making it unsupported and insecure for over 12 years. This is extremely old and this requirement is being raised.

In WordPress 6.5 (as of [57173]), the minimum required version of MySQL will be raised from 5.0 to 5.5.5.

Why version 5.5?

This sounds like a big jump and appears to discontinue support for 5 versions. However, MySQL versions 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 were never officially released. Here are the current percentages of sites using each MySQL version for all WordPress sites according to the WordPress.org Stats page (the EOL date for each release is noted in parenthesis):

5.0: 0.13% (January 2012)
5.1: 0.27% (December 2013)
5.5: 14.54% (December 2018)
5.6: 4.51% (February 2021)
5.7: 33.01% (October 2023)
8.0: 11.67% (April 2026)

Note: This only includes versions released prior to the MySQL Innovation/Long-Term Support versioning strategy that was recently announced.

Only 0.4% of all sites are running MySQL < version 5.5. Additionally, 80% of those sites are running a version of WordPress greater than 2 years old (6.1 or earlier). Approximately 15% of all sites are running MySQL 5.5.

Even though the EOL date for version 5.5 has also long passed, the level of usage in the wild is far too high to consider using a required minimum higher than that at this time.

Why 5.5.5 specifically and not just 5.5?

Of all sites currently running MySQL 5.5, over 85% of them are running the 5.5.5 point releaseMinor Release A set of releases or versions having the same minor version number may be collectively referred to as .x , for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.3, and all other versions in the 5.2 (five dot two) branch of that software. Minor Releases often make improvements to existing features and functionality. with no usage of 5.5.0-5.5.4 being reported.

Using 5.5.5 also ensures two things:

The presence of utf8mb4 support (added in MySQL 5.5.3)
InnoDB is the default storage engine instead of MyISAM (added in 5.5.5).

While WordPress is perfectly capable of using other character sets, utf8mb4 is the preferred default, falling back to utf8 when it’s unavailable.

How does this affect MariaDB support?

In short, it doesn’t. The MariaDB project used a numbering strategy identical to MySQLs through version 5.5. While MySQL 5.2, 5.3, and 5.4 were not released, MariaDB 5.2 and 5.3 were. This change will effectively drop support for those two releases of MariaDB, These versions reached EOL in 2010 and 2011, respectively. There is currently no reported usage of these two versions in the wild.

What about new versions of MySQL or MariaDB?

There will continue to be no upper limit to the version of MySQL or MariaDB a site owner is allowed to run. As new versions are released, contributors work to evaluate and address any compatibility issues when and if they are discovered.

With MySQL 8.1 and MariaDB 10.0, both projects moved towards a release model with both short and long term releases. A larger discussion needs to take place focused on how this concept fits within the project’s commitment to backwards compatibility and version support policies. However, this post is not for that discussion. Keep an eye on this blogblog (versus network, site) for a separate post outlining and contextualizing those related challenges.

Wait, Site Health already says 5.5 is the minimum required version…

That’s right! Since the day it was merged into Core for release in WordPress 5.2, Site Health has reported the minimum required version as 5.5. Because the Site Health feature was originally a pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party, it leaned hard on having strong recommendations from the start. Because MySQL version 5.5.3 added support for utf8mb4, the decision was made to present 5.5 as the minimum required version instead of 5.0.

When can/will the required version be raised to #INSERT SOME VERSION NUMBER HERE#?

Database software should be treated the same as any other: the most recent publicly available, supported version should always be used whenever possible. Using unsupported or EOL versions of software can leave you and your site susceptible to bugs and security vulnerabilities.

That said, WordPress is steadfast in its commitment to backwards compatibility. Older versions of the software WordPress depends on such as PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher and MySQL or MariaDB will continue to be supported when a sizable number of sites remain on those versions. Historically, the 5% baseline has been used when considering adjustments to the PHP support policy. The same baseline percentage seems reasonable as a starting point to begin future discussions about further changes to the minimum required versions of MySQL and MariaDB.

While the minimum required version is changing in WordPress 6.5, WordPress continues to recommend using MySQL version 5.7 or greater OR MariaDB version 10.4 or greater.

Summary

As a community, we frequently encourage site owners to run actively supported versions of PHP. Let’s advocate more strongly for the same with MySQL and MariaDB. By working together to lower the usage numbers of any versions that have reached their end of life, the potential to use new features to further improve WordPress can be unlocked, all while making the overall ecosystem more healthy and secure.

Props @jorbin, @chanthaboune, @johnbillion, and @sergeybiryukov for pre-publish review.

adrian33000 2:47 pm on December 8, 2023

All very interesting but maybe a little information on how databases are updated might have helped.

Are they automatically updated when coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. updates are applied or does a website owner need to actually make changes?

You refer to updating PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher versions that require access to the server and manually updating to the latest or most appropriate level but you say nothing in this article about the way in which databases are to be updated.

Perhaps an explanation might be a good idea.
- AndyHenderson 5:08 pm on December 8, 2023
  
  Good question.
  
  I recently decided to switch to a fairly recent version of MariaDB from MySQLMySQL MySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. so my sites are not affected by the proposed change. However, the procedure for implementing database upgrades required by my ISP (IONOS – a major European one) is non-trivial.
  
  Changing database version means: putting the site into maintenance mode; adding a new database; unloading all the data from the old one; loading it to the new one; changing wp-config.php; testing the updated site and, finally, removing maintenence mode.
  
  I’m an IT developer but I was still nervous about making the change. As it happened, it worked OK for all my sites but, over a year on, I still haven’t had the courage to delete the old versions.
  
  On the other hand, changing PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher versions at IONOS is simply a case of selecting a version from a drop-down.
  
  If my experience of updating databases is common-place, I don’t think it appropriate to compare keeping databases up-to-date with keeping PHP up-to-date.
  
  I’m pretty certain there’s no consistency in the way new databases are created under different ISPs. However, it should be possible to simplify – and integrity check – transfer of data from one database to another. Ideally something built-in to WordPress.
  - Jonathan Desrosiers 5:57 pm on December 8, 2023
    
    Thanks for both of these comments!
    
    The intended audience for this post was the WordPress developer community that builds products or services with and contributes back to WordPress. Most of the readers in that group should be familiar with the relationship between MySQLMySQL MySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. and WordPress and the general areas to research before attempting to update update.
    
    More documentation targeted at end users and site owners is planned in the coming weeks.
    I don’t think it appropriate to compare keeping databases up-to-date with keeping PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher up-to-date.
    
    While I agree it’s not currently an apples to apples comparison, there’s no reason why we can’t get closer to that in the near future.
    
    Part of the intention behind this post was to encourage the previously mentioned groups to put more thought and emphasis around keeping database software up to date. Some hosts do have processes in place to mass upgrade MySQL versions with proper testing and fail safes when deemed necessary. My hope is they will be more proactive and upgrade more easily and frequently, and provide more support/documentation to make the process more approachable for site owners.
- emilywatson10 10:31 am on December 10, 2023
  
  Hi there! Thanks for providing additional context on the intended audience and goals of your post. It’s great to hear that more documentation for end users and site owners is in the pipeline.
  
  I completely understand your point about not directly comparing database updates to PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher updates, but it’s encouraging to see the aspiration to bridge that gap in the future. Strengthening the emphasis on keeping database software up-to-date is indeed crucial, and your call to action for hosts to be more proactive in their support and documentation is spot on.
  
  Here’s to hoping for a more seamless and frequent upgrade process, benefiting both developers and site owners alike. Keep up the fantastic work in fostering a collaborative and informed WordPress community!
  - jackjohun 8:14 am on December 12, 2023
    
    Certainly! “Your commitment to improving documentation and fostering collaboration in the WordPress community is commendable. Emphasizing the importance of database updates and encouraging proactive support from hosts reflects a positive stride towards a more seamless upgrade process. Keep up the fantastic work!”
- jackjohun 8:21 am on December 12, 2023
  
  Absolutely, here’s a concise response: “Database updates are a crucial aspect. While coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress. updates may trigger automatic changes, updating PHPPHP The web scripting language in which WordPress is primarily architected. WordPress requires PHP 5.6.20 or higher requires manual intervention. Unfortunately, details on database updates were omitted in this article. Your suggestion for an explanation is duly noted for future improvements.”
David Anderson 1:42 pm on December 9, 2023

It would be helpful if wordpress.orgWordPress.org The community site where WordPress code is created and shared by the users. This is where you can download the source code for WordPress core, plugins and themes as well as the central location for community conversations and organization. https://wordpress.org/ could export the fine-grained information on versions people are currently using. Simple statistics like “Only 0.4% of all sites are running MySQLMySQL MySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/. < version 5.5. Additionally, 80% of those sites are running a version of WordPress greater than 2 years old (6.1 or earlier)" are still only available to insiders. Automattic-owned plugins like WooCommerce and JetPack can make their own decisions based on access to this data, but other pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party authors can't.
- David Anderson 1:43 pm on December 9, 2023
  
  (To be clear, it’s the “additionally, 80% of those sites are…” part that I’m referring to as unknowable to ordinary pluginPlugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party authors).
- Aaron Jorbin 4:09 am on December 10, 2023
  
  The simple statistic cited comes from https://wordpress.org/about/stats/ and this information is available to all.