For MySQL, version numbers are organized as version = X.Y.Z. In Amazon RDS terminology, X.Y denotes the major version, and Z is the minor version number. For Amazon RDS implementations, a version change is considered major if the major version number changes—for example, going from version 5.7 to 8.0. A version change is considered minor if only the minor version number changes—for example, going from version 8.0.28 to 8.0.32.

Amazon RDS Extended Support eligible minor engine version. For more information, see Using Amazon RDS Extended Support.

You can specify any currently supported MySQL version when creating a new DB instance. You can specify the major version (such as MySQL 5.7), and any supported minor version for the specified major version. If no version is specified, Amazon RDS defaults to a supported version, typically the most recent version. If a major version is specified but a minor version is not, Amazon RDS defaults to a recent release of the major version you have specified. To see a list of supported versions, as well as defaults for newly created DB instances, use the describe-db-engine-versions AWS CLI command.

The default MySQL version might vary by AWS Region. To create a DB instance with a specific minor version, specify the minor version during DB instance creation. You can determine the default minor version for an AWS Region using the following AWS CLI command:

With Amazon RDS, you control when to upgrade your MySQL instance to a new major version supported by Amazon RDS. You can maintain compatibility with specific MySQL versions, test new versions with your application before deploying in production, and perform major version upgrades at times that best fit your schedule.

When automatic minor version upgrade is enabled, your DB instance will be upgraded automatically to new MySQL minor versions as they are supported by Amazon RDS. This patching occurs during your scheduled maintenance window. You can modify a DB instance to enable or disable automatic minor version upgrades.

If you opt out of automatically scheduled upgrades, you can manually upgrade to a supported minor version release by following the same procedure as you would for a major version update. For information, see Upgrading a DB instance engine version.