Upgrade Now to Avoid Increased Costs for Your RDS MySQL 5.7

Feb 28, 2024

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Hi RDS MySQL folks,

Today, we're discussing the cost-saving opportunities associated with the lifecycle of MySQL 5.7 and AWS RDS, focusing on end-of-life dates, extended support, and future LTS releases. Join us as we explore strategies to manage your database effectively, avoid increased billing, and learn how Mydbops can support you during these transitions.

MySQL 5.7 LifeCycle

First release: MySQL 5.7.9 (2015-10-21, General Availability)

Final relase: MySQL 5.7.44 (2023-10-25, General Availability)

Oracle announced the End of Life (EOL) for MySQL 5.7 Major Version on October 31, 2023. Following this, MySQL has restructured its releases into two main categories:

Innovation Release (Beta)
LTS (Long Term Support) release, with a new LTS release scheduled every two years.

In July 2024, MySQL is set to receive its new LTS release, 8.4.0+, following the adaptation of its new release cycle. Additionally, in April 2026, the currently supported major version, MySQL 8.0.36+, will reach its End of Life (EOL).

Each of the LTS releases will receive 8 years of support.

References:

MySQL Release Cycle Revolution: Unleashing a New Era of Innovation and Stability

Introducing MySQL Innovation and Long-Term Support (LTS) versions

AWS RDS LifeCycle

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AWS RDS MySQL currently supports only the two versions of the MySQL 5.7 series (5.7.43, 5.7.44). Any versions older than that will be auto-upgraded to this minor version on the next upgrade window if "auto minor version upgrade" is enabled in the RDS configuration.

On 29 February 2024, RDS will close its standard support for MySQL 5.7+.

Through Amazon RDS Extended Support, RDS plans to support the last version of MySQL 5.7, which is MySQL 5.7.44, for the next 3 years by providing security patches.

Refer Using Amazon RDS Extended Support for More Information.

Understanding RDS Extended Support

With RDS Extended Support, Amazon Aurora and RDS undertake the engineering of critical CVE patches and bug fixes for up to three years beyond a major version’s community EOL. During this period, Amazon Aurora and RDS diligently identify CVEs and bugs in the engine, generate patches, and release them to you as quickly as possible.

MySQL 5.7 Lifecycle Dates for Community and RDS Releases

Running MySQL Aurora V2.0 (5.7 Compatible)?

If you're running on MySQL Aurora V2.0 (5.7 compatible), standard support ends on October 31, 2024. You will have an additional 8 months to plan an upgrade to Aurora version 2.0. After the standard support period, extended support costing will apply to Aurora as well.

Subscription Process

Initially, extended support was planned as an opt-in feature. If the database had not opted in for extended support, the database would have been auto-upgraded to version 8.0 in the next maintenance window after March 1, 2024.

However, based on feedback received from users, this is no longer the case. Auto-upgrade to the major version will not happen.

Starting from March 1, 2024, after the end of standard support, your instance will be automatically enrolled in the extended support program.

Additional Costs

Your instance will incur charges for AWS RDS Extended Support at the rates provided in the link here. These costs vary by region. For Mumbai, the following rates are applicable:

First 2 Years: $0.114 / VCpu / Hour
Next 1 Year: $0.228 / VCpu / Hour (from the 3rd year)

Illustration

Consider you're running 3 instances of MySQL RDS version 5.7.44 (1 source, 2 replicas) on db.r7g.xlarge (4 VCpu, 32 GB Memory) for one of your applications. You will be charged additionally for:

Total VCpus: 3 instances x 4 VCpu = 12 VCpu

Added Cost: 12 VCpu x $0.114 x 24 Hours x 30 Days = $984.96

Solutions to Avoid Billing Increases

In this section, we will explore several options to mitigate additional costs for your database billing.

Option 1: Upgrade to MySQL 8.0

Given the cost of maintaining the older version, it's worthwhile to upgrade to MySQL 8.0. RDS's blue-green deployment can help achieve a relatively stress-free migration.

Consider the following:

Use Upgrade Checker to validate the schemas and fix any issues in advance.
Perform a benchmark of critical queries.
Be aware of warm-up issues on newly created RDS instances if you have datasets ranging from hundreds of GB’s to TB’s.

Additional Resources:

Option 2: Aurora version 2.0 (5.7 compatible)

If you are unable to upgrade immediately but can prioritize the upgrade in the next two quarters, consider choosing Aurora V2. Aurora V2, backed by MySQL 5.7, will receive standard support until October 2024. Upgrading to Aurora from RDS is seamless.

MySQL 5.7 and Aurora MySQL Version 2 Lifecycle Dates

Caution: Aurora may not be well-suited for write-heavy workloads. We recommend thorough testing before migrating to Aurora.

Reference: Migrate from RDS MySQL to Aurora MySQL in near zero downtime

Illustration:

Comparing on-demand pricing, actual costs will vary based on IO usage in Aurora.

R6g.2Xlarge: 8 Cores, 32 GB RAM
1 Instance of RDS r6g.2Xlarge with 100 GB Storage: $719.01
1 Instance of Aurora r6g.2Xlarge with 100 GB Storage: $873.71

Extended Cost When Running on RDS Per Month:

8 vCPU x $0.11 x 24 hours x 30 days = $633.60
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in RDS with extended support pricing: $1352.61
TCO in Aurora: $873.71

Option 3: Running on VM

If you can manage MySQL on EC2 yourself, this is the best and cheapest option to consider. You can run the database on the preferred version as intended.

Illustration:

Comparing on-demand pricing

For r6g.2Xlarge: 8 Cores, 32 GB RAM
- TCO in RDS with extended support pricing: $1352.61
- TCO in EC2: $271.88
For RDS, 100 GB storage is considered.
For EC2, 900 GB storage is considered, with 100 GB for the root volume, 100 GB for the data volume, and 700 GB for backups.

Note: We still recommend upgrading to MySQL 8.0 at the earliest to utilize the full potential and features of MySQL.

Refer: Upgrade Your MySQL Database: Don't Get Left Behind!

Additional Considerations

Reserved Instance: Setting Reserved Instances is a common practice for optimized billing. If you plan to upgrade the MySQL RDS itself, skip this section. If you are planning to migrate to a different service (EC2, Aurora, etc.), speak to your TAM to convert the unused reserved units to the services you require reservation, depending on the plan of subscription.
Backups: If you have manual RDS snapshot backups as a part of legal compliance requirements, extended support charges are applicable when it’s restored. To be future-ready and avoid additional charges, you can keep your backups upgraded and ready to be restored in newer versions.

RDS has introduced a snapshot upgrade feature, where you can directly upgrade the snapshot to the latest version, without needing to restore. Post the snapshot upgrade, you can restore the snapshot in the upgraded version.

References:

Mydbops Ensures a Smooth MySQL 5.7 End-of-Life Upgrade

As MySQL 5.7 approaches its end-of-life, Mydbops stands ready to assist you in upgrading to newer versions seamlessly. Our team will brainstorm the best upgrade path tailored to your needs, ensuring a smooth transition.

We specialize in handling the heavy lifting, including data migration, sanity checks, parameter optimization, and query performance benchmarks.

Count on us to optimize incompatible procedures, plan rollbacks, and facilitate near-zero downtime switchovers. Plus, our post-migration support is always available to address any production issues. Contact Us Now !

Upgrade Your MySQL Now!

MySQL 5.7 is nearing its end-of-life. Upgrade seamlessly with Mydbops to avoid additional costs. We'll tailor the best upgrade path for you, handle heavy lifting, optimize procedures, and ensure near-zero downtime.

Get Instant MySQL Upgrade Support

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