OFICIAL AWS What's New

Amazon RDS for MariaDB now supports MariaDB 12.3

What happened
Based on AWS What's New · Aug 11, 2026

Amazon RDS for MariaDB now supports version 12.3, the latest Long-Term Support release, enabling Oracle compatibility and improved query performance.

Amazon RDS for MariaDB now supports MariaDB 12.3
AWS What's New — Amazon Web Services
Key points
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Starting today, Amazon RDS for MariaDB supports MariaDB major version 12.3, the latest Long-Term Support release from the MariaDB community.
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\n \nMariaDB 12.3 includes Oracle TO_DATE() function compatibility, reducing the code changes needed when migrating applications from Oracle to MariaDB.
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It adds an IS JSON predicate, so you can validate JSON documents natively in the database rather than in application code.
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The query optimizer now handles reorderable LEFT JOIN statements and ordered scans over RANGE partitions more efficiently, improving performance for these queries without application changes.

Amazon RDS for MariaDB has introduced support for MariaDB 12.3, the newest Long-Term Support release from the MariaDB Foundation. This update includes MariaDB 12.3.2, offering compatibility with Oracle’s TO_DATE() function to simplify migrations from Oracle databases. The release also introduces an IS JSON predicate for native JSON document validation within the database, reducing reliance on application-level checks. Query performance improvements include optimized handling of reorderable LEFT JOIN statements and ordered scans over RANGE partitions, enhancing efficiency without requiring application modifications.

Users can upgrade existing databases to MariaDB 12.3 on Amazon RDS using Blue/Green Deployments, in-place upgrades, or snapshot restores. The upgrade process is documented in the Amazon RDS User Guide, which outlines steps for performing major version upgrades. For those migrating from external MariaDB sources, AWS Database Migration Service provides a supported pathway to transition to RDS for MariaDB 12.3. The service supports multiple upgrade methods to accommodate different operational requirements and minimize downtime.

Amazon RDS for MariaDB is designed to simplify the setup, operation, and scaling of MariaDB deployments in the cloud. The service automates administrative tasks such as provisioning, patching, and backups, allowing users to focus on application development. It integrates with AWS infrastructure to provide high availability, security, and performance for MariaDB workloads. The managed nature of the service reduces operational overhead while maintaining compatibility with the latest MariaDB features.

Pricing for Amazon RDS for MariaDB is based on instance size, storage, and data transfer usage, with regional availability varying by AWS Region. Users can review detailed pricing information and check availability in their preferred regions through the Amazon RDS for MariaDB pricing page. New or existing databases can be created or updated via the Amazon RDS Management Console, which provides a centralized interface for database administration and configuration.

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