How does Red Hat support databases included in RHEL, such as PostgreSQL, MariaDB, MySQL, Valkey, and Redis?

Updated

Red Hat is often asked how the databases included in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) are packaged, updated, and supported. This article clarifies the support policies, versioning, and explicit support statements for these databases.

Support

Full support for a database as part of Red Hat Enterprise Linux includes only:

  • Packaging: Problems with the packages (RPMs) built, tested, and distributed by Red Hat.
  • Installation: Ensuring the database software installs correctly on RHEL.
  • Basic configuration: Limited assistance with initial configuration files to get the database service running.

Red Hat does not support administration and management tasks, such as:

  • Database usage
  • Schema design
  • Performance tuning
  • Data management

PostgreSQL

Red Hat's goal is to keep the distributed version of PostgreSQL in RHEL extremely close to the upstream community version. Our internal PostgreSQL maintainers collaborate closely with the PostgreSQL community. This approach allows for the timely inclusion of fixes for customer issues and results in only a slight divergence between the Red Hat and upstream versions. Furthermore, fixes will be provided as per Maintenance Support Phase terms and conditions or until the end of the Extended Life Phase for customers who purchase extended life subscriptions for the base RHEL release.

Red Hat's process for selecting a PostgreSQL version is straightforward: we use the latest stable major release branch and then incorporate minor updates from that branch into RHEL minor releases. Newer upstream branches of PostgreSQL are included as part of alternative versions in RHEL 10 and Application Streams in RHEL 9 and RHEL 8. They incorporate a shorter life cycle and include more recent branches of the upstream product compared to a more stable branch in base Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The upstream PostgreSQL community has a five-year life cycle for its stable branches, which further reduces the need for Red Hat to create custom patches or deviate from the community version.

The timing of Red Hat updates to PostgreSQL is usually driven by the schedule for security patches or RHEL minor releases. While there is no set schedule for routine updates, the Red Hat Security Response Team may approve a new upstream version of PostgreSQL in its entirety rather than cherry-picking individual security patches.

NOTE: This has occasionally led to specific bug fixes not being incorporated by Red Hat until the next security advisory for PostgreSQL.

MariaDB

MariaDB is the default implementation of MySQL in RHEL. MariaDB is a community-developed fork of the MySQL database project and provides a replacement for MySQL. Until MariaDB 5.5, MariaDB versions functioned as a "drop-in replacement" for the equivalent MySQL version, with some limitations. From MariaDB 10.0, it is usually still very easy to upgrade from MySQL.

For further details, see:

For customers who opt to purchase MariaDB Enterprise Server, Red Hat supports only the underlying RHEL installation, but customers must contact MariaDB for official support of the database software.

MySQL

Red Hat is committed to fully supporting the upstream community version of MySQL, which is included in RHEL.

For customers who opt to purchase the proprietary version from Oracle, Red Hat supports only the underlying RHEL installation, but customers must contact Oracle for official support of MySQL itself.

As an alternative to MySQL, you can use MariaDB - a community-developed fork of MySQL, which is also included in RHEL.

Valkey and Redis

Redis is provided by Red Hat in versions up to and including Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.

Starting with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10, due to licensing changes, Red Hat provides Valkey, an open-source fork of Redis.

Support for end-of-life upstream versions that are currently in RHEL

Although an upstream version may be designated as end-of-life during a Red Hat Enterprise Linux major release, Red Hat will continue to provide critical security and bug-fix updates to PostgreSQL for the entire life cycle of the RHEL product. For example: PostgreSQL 16 on RHEL 10 will continue to be supported for the life of RHEL 10 (until the end of the Maintenance Support Phase and until the end of the Extended Life Phase for customers who purchase extended life subscriptions) despite being listed as end of life upstream, since security errata for the product will continue to be pushed upstream.

NOTE: MariaDB and MySQL are exceptions to this policy. Once an upstream version of MySQL reaches its end of life, Red Hat is unable to provide further security and bug fixes because public updates are no longer posted by the upstream projects. This content is not included.MariaDB is in a similar situation, but could be supported longer than This content is not included.Oracle's stated end of life.

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