Amazon Aurora MySQL 8.4 is now generally available

Amazon Web Services has announced the general availability of Amazon Aurora MySQL 8.4, bringing support for the latest MySQL Long Term Support (LTS) major version to its managed database service. The release introduces aligned version numbering, meaning Aurora MySQL version numbers now directly match their corresponding community MySQL versions, with Aurora MySQL 8.4 launching with compatibility for community MySQL 8.4.7. AWS has also committed to more predictable release timelines, targeting major versions within 12 months of community MySQL LTS releases and minor versions within three months of each community release. The new version significantly strengthens security defaults for newly created clusters. TLS encryption is now enforced by default with support limited to TLS 1.2 and 1.3, while new database accounts automatically use the more secure caching_sha2_password authentication plugin instead of older methods. Password validation policies can now be customized through database cluster parameter groups, giving administrators more granular control over security requirements. AWS has also improved the upgrade experience with automated prechecks that identify potential compatibility issues before taking clusters offline for upgrades. Database administrators can upgrade their existing Aurora MySQL instances using Amazon RDS Blue/Green Deployments for zero-downtime upgrades, traditional in-place upgrades, or by restoring from snapshots, providing multiple pathways depending on operational requirements.