Data Platforms Reaching End of Life in July 2026
Author: Tom Hoblitzell | 7 min read | July 30, 2026
July is practically drowning in data platform end of life dates, with a mid-summer shake up that you should keep an eye on. Let’s dive right in to this month’s list!
Stay on top of upcoming data platform end-of-life dates in our Data Platform End of Life 2026 Calendar.
Data Platforms to Take Action on in July 2026
SQL Server 2016
SQL Server 2016 is one of the biggest platforms to cover this month, as it has reached the end of extended support on July 14, 2026. Extended Security Updates (ESUs) are available for three years, ending on July 17th, 2029, but these can be costly. You can read more details on ESU specifics here.
If you want to avoid paying the ESU cost and continue to stay on SQL Server, you can:
- Upgrade to a currently supported version of SQL Server. SQL Server 2016 has a direct upgrade path to the most current version, SQL Server 2025.
- Modernize your SQL Server instances to Azure SQL Managed Instance.
- Modernize your SQL Server instances to Azure SQL Database.
- Consider using SQL database in Microsoft Fabric for data platform modernization.
Amazon RDS for SQL Server 2016
Amazon RDS for SQL Server follows Microsoft’s SQL Server lifecycle, so 2016 has also reached end of support. AWS has not allowed new instances of SQL Server 2016 to be created since January 15th, 2026. Existing instances will go through a automatic upgrade to SQL Server 2019 during a specified maintenance window between July 14th and September 7th, 2026. If you do not specify a maintenance period, your instance will be automatically upgraded to 2019 on September 8th, 2026.
Amazon RDS for SQL Server supports up to SQL Server 2025, so you can opt for the most recent version for your upgrade path if needed. Additionally, you could consider migrating to Amazon Aurora for PostgreSQL or MySQL if you wanted to switch to a cloud-native data platform.
Couchbase Server 7.2
Couchbase Server 7.2 reached its full end of life this month, with no further support available. with both end of full maintenance and end of life in July 2026. You’ll need to upgrade your instances to Couchbase Server 7.6 or 8.0.
MongoDB 8.2
MongoDB Atlas Auto Upgrade and MongoDB Enterprise Advanced Server 8.2 both reach end of life on July 31, 2026. The recommended upgrade path is to move to 8.3.
MariaDB 10.6 Community Server
MariaDB Community Server 10.6 hit end of support on July 6, 2026, although one last binary 10.6 release is expected at the end of July. You can either upgrade to a newer LTS release, such as MariaDB 10.11, 11.4, 11.8, or 12.3, or migrate to MariaDB Enterprise Server 10.6, as that version has extended support until 2029.
Azure Database for PostgreSQL 11, 12, and 13
Azure Database for PostgreSQL Flexible Server reaches the Azure Standard Support end date for PostgreSQL 11, 12, and 13 on July 31, 2026. Extended Support starts on August 1, 2026 for these versions, with end dates of March 31, 2027 for PostgreSQL 11, November 13, 2027 for PostgreSQL 12, and November 12, 2028 for PostgreSQL. Your instances will be automatically enrolled in Extended Support, with billing beginning after a grace period.
Azure Database for MySQL 5.7
Azure Database for MySQL 5.7 reaches Azure Standard Support end on July 31, 2026, but extended support is available until March 31, 2029. Your current instances will be automatically enrolled in Extended Support after the end of standard support, and billing will start after a grace period. If you don’t want to use extended support, then you should plan an upgrade to Azure Database for MySQL 8.0.45, 8.4.8, or 9.5.0.
Amazon RDS for MySQL 8.0
Amazon RDS for MySQL 8.0 reaches end of standard support on July 31, 2026, but extended support is available until July 31, 2029. If you want to avoid extended support costs, you’ll want to upgrade to Amazon RDS for MySQL 8.4, or consider using Amazon Aurora for MySQL.
What to Do Before the Next End of Life Date Hits
EOL planning should start with a full inventory of affected engines, versions, managed services, replicas, extensions, drivers, and dependent applications. From there, decide whether the best answer is an in-place upgrade, a managed cloud migration, a platform consolidation effort, or a more complete architecture refresh.
The safest approach is to test with production-like data, validate application behavior, confirm rollback options, and schedule the upgrade during a controlled maintenance window. If you are already planning analytics, AI, reporting, or application modernization projects, use these end-of-life deadlines to build a platform that supports those priorities instead of simply moving the same constraints to a newer version.
See every data platform that you need to take action on in our Data Platform End of Life 2026 Calendar, or get in touch with our data platform experts to explore your upgrade, migration, and modernization options.
Frequently Asked Questions About Data Platform End-of-Support
What does end of support mean for a database platform?
End of support generally means the vendor stops providing standard updates, fixes, and support for that version. For example, Microsoft states that SQL Server 2016 no longer receives regular security updates or technical support after end of support, and MariaDB states that Community Server 10.6 no longer receives bug fixes, security fixes, or corrective releases after July 6, 2026.
Will cloud providers automatically upgrade unsupported database versions?
Sometimes. Amazon RDS for SQL Server 2016 has a forced upgrade schedule to SQL Server 2019 if customers do not upgrade in time. Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure Database for MySQL automatically enroll unsupported versions into Extended Support, while Google Cloud SQL automatically enrolls community EOL MySQL major versions into Extended Support. Major version upgrades for Amazon RDS for MariaDB and Amazon RDS for MySQL remain customer-controlled and should be manually planned and tested.
Should I upgrade in place or use end of support as a modernization trigger?
An in-place upgrade may be the fastest way to stay supported, especially when application dependencies are tight. But if the platform is costly to operate, difficult to scale, or limiting analytics and AI initiatives, an end-of-life event is a smart time to assess managed cloud options, database consolidation, architecture changes, and operating model improvements.
