Something changed in MySQL 8.4 related to caching, and it is easy to miss, so it deserves a post. And a subject adjacent to this is the missing Release Candidate for MySQL 8.4 LTS, with my hope that the next LTS will have a Release Candidate, so I also cover this topic below.
(if you are not interested in Caching and Flushing, you can jump directly to the section about Release Candidate)
This post covers a hands-on walkthrough of MySQL 8.0's JSON functions. JSON support has been in MySQL since 5.7, but 8.0 added a meaningful set of improvements — better indexing strategies, new functions, and multi-valued indexes — that make working with JSON data considerably more practical. The following documents several of the most commonly needed patterns, including EXPLAIN output and performance observations worth knowing about.
This isn't a "JSON vs. relational" debate post. If you're storing JSON in MySQL, you probably already have your reasons. The goal here is to make sure you're using the available tooling effectively.
Environment
mysql> SELECT @@version, @@version_comment\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
@@version: 8.0.36
@@version_comment: MySQL Community Server - GPL
Testing was done on a VM with 8GB RAM and …
[Read more]What Happened at the Summits We just wrapped up two MySQL Community Summits – one in San Francisco in January, and one in Brussels right before FOSDEM. The energy in the rooms: a lot of people who care deeply about MySQL got together, exchanged ideas, and left with a clear sense that we need to […]
As we mark the milestone of MySQL’s 30-year anniversary, the celebrations around the globe have been a testament to the widespread impact and popularity of the Dolphin. This week’s annual preFOSDEM MySQL Belgian Days in Brussels are not only an opportunity to celebrate, but also a chance for Oracle to share some key updates on […]
As AI workloads become standard in modern applications, engineering teams face a familiar dilemma: MySQL is already the system of record, but vector search typically requires bolting on a separate database. That means two security models, two observability stacks, and inevitable data consistency headaches.
A concept presented at Pre-FOSDEM 2026 by René Cannaò (ProxySQL founder) and Alkin Tezuysal (Altinity) proposes a cleaner path: keep everything in MySQL, but add vector capabilities through a plugin called MyVector, with ProxySQL serving as the unified …
[Read more]The new protocol dissector for X Protocol in MySQL was just merged to the master branch in Wireshark. To get it build Wireshark from the master branch or wait for the next release.
This protocol is using Google Protobuf, which makes it much easier to work with than the regular MySQL protocol.
See also: https://dev.mysql.com/doc/dev/mysql-server/latest/page_mysqlx_protocol.html
If you like what Wireshark does, consider donating on https://wiresharkfoundation.org/donate/
The Problem with “Just Migrate”
Most organizations are sitting on MySQL deployments they can’t
easily change — a mix of community editions, managed cloud
services, and legacy versions. Teams want RAG pipelines and
natural language querying, but adding AI capabilities typically
means schema migrations, new vector database infrastructure,
dual-write synchronization headaches, and AI logic sprawled
across every application layer. The operational cost is real, and
the governance risk is worse.
ProxySQL v4.0 takes a different approach: don’t touch your
database at all.
The Transparent AI Layer
The core thesis is elegant — put the intelligence at the proxy layer, not in the database or the application. ProxySQL already sits between every client and every MySQL backend, which makes it a natural choke point for centralized governance, auth, auditing, and now AI capabilities. No connection string changes, no …
[Read more]MySQL 8.0 is scheduled for End of Life (EOL) in April 2026. In line with this milestone, we previously announced in this Oracle blog post that all existing MySQL HeatWave instances running version 8.0 would be automatically upgraded to the latest supported 8.4 release after April 2026. However, understanding the operational realities and planning cycles […]
MySQL is taking a significant step forward by rethinking how foreign key constraints and cascades are managed. Starting with MySQL 9.6, foreign key checks and cascade operations will be handled directly by the SQL engine rather than the InnoDB storage engine. This improvement addresses long-standing challenges with change tracking, binary log replication, and data consistency, making […]
When a replica fails due to corruption or drift, the standard solution is to rebuild it from a fresh copy of the master when pt-table-sync is not an option. Traditionally, when we need to build a new replica, we use a physical backup for speed, but there are some cases where you still need logical […]