Upgrade the database minor version of MySQL 8.0

Cloud SQL for MySQL supports multiple minor versions of MySQL 8.0 and provisions MySQL 8.0 instances on the default minor version, which is one minor version earlier than the latest minor version.

With each new minor version, database providers release new features, security patches, bug fixes, and performance improvements.

MySQL 8.0 doesn't support downgrading.

Automatic upgrade

Cloud SQL supports the automatic minor version upgrade of Cloud SQL for MySQL 8.0 instances that aren't tied to a specific minor version. The instance must be running MySQL version 8.0.35 or later.

If your instance is enabled for automatic minor version upgrade, then the Cloud SQL for MySQL 8.0 instance is upgraded automatically to the default minor version of Cloud SQL for MySQL 8.0 during its regularly scheduled maintenance update. You're no longer required to perform minor version upgrades manually to keep your Cloud SQL for MySQL instance up-to-date with the latest security patches and bug fixes released by the MySQL community.

Check for automatic minor upgrade enablement

To check whether your instance is enabled for automatic minor version upgrade, run the following command:

gcloud sql instances describe INSTANCE_NAME \
--project=PROJECT_ID

Replace INSTANCE_NAME with the name of the instance and PROJECT_ID with the project ID of the instance. In the output of the command, locate the following fields.

• databaseVersion: the value must be MYSQL_8_0
• databaseInstalledVersion: the value must be a minor version equal or greater than MYSQL_8_0_35

Manual upgrade

This section describes how to upgrade the minor version of a Cloud SQL for MySQL 8.0 instance manually. If you're running a Cloud SQL for MySQL version 8.0.34 or earlier, then you must upgrade the minor version of Cloud SQL for MySQL manually.

Before upgrading to a new MySQL 8.0 minor version, familiarize yourself with the changes. See MySQL 8.0 Release Notes. If you use Cloud SQL for MySQL 5.6 or 5.7, Cloud SQL automatically manages your instance's minor version. When you provision a new instance, Cloud SQL automatically configures your instance with the latest database version available. During routine maintenance, Cloud SQL automatically upgrades your instance to the latest supported version.

To upgrade the database minor version of your MySQL 8.0 instance, you need to update the instance with your preferred minor version, which must be greater than the installed minor version. You can't revert to an unspecified minor version after an instance has been provisioned.

If you're running a Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus edition instance, then the minor version upgrade completes with near-zero downtime.

Before you upgrade manually

Cloud SQL supports minor version upgrade for MySQL 8.0 instances. MySQL 8.0 doesn't allow downgrades. So, before you upgrade your primary instance, follow these steps to ensure that your data is safe.

1. Choose the target minor version of the database.

   gcloud

   For information about installing and getting started with the gcloud CLI, see Install the gcloud CLI. For information about starting Cloud Shell, see Use Cloud Shell.

   To check which minor versions of the database are available for an in-place upgrade, do the following:

   1. Run the following command.

   gcloud sql instances describe INSTANCE_NAME
    

   Replace INSTANCE_NAME with the name of the instance.

   2. In the output of the command, locate the section that is labeled upgradableDatabaseVersions.
   3. Each subsection returns a database version that is available for upgrade. In each subsection, review the following field.
   • name: the database version string that includes the database major and minor version that you can target for the Cloud SQL for MySQL minor version in-place upgrade.

   REST v1

   To check which minor versions of the database are available for an in-place upgrade, use the instances.get method of the Cloud SQL Admin API.

   Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

   • INSTANCE_NAME: The instance name.

   HTTP method and URL:

   GET https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME

   To send your request, expand one of these options:

   curl (Linux, macOS, or Cloud Shell)

   Execute the following command:

   curl -X GET \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
    "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME"

   PowerShell (Windows)

   Execute the following command:

   $cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
   $headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }
   
   Invoke-WebRequest `
    -Method GET `
    -Headers $headers `
    -Uri "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME" | Select-Object -Expand Content

   You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

   upgradableDatabaseVersions:
   {
    major_version: "MYSQL_8_0"
    name: "MYSQL_8_0_36"
    display_name: "MySQL 8.0.36"
   }
   

   REST v1beta4

   To check which minor versions of the database are available for an in-place upgrade, use the instances.get method of the Cloud SQL Admin API.

   Before using any of the request data, make the following replacements:

   • INSTANCE_NAME: The instance name.

   HTTP method and URL:

   GET https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME

   To send your request, expand one of these options:

   curl (Linux, macOS, or Cloud Shell)

   Execute the following command:

   curl -X GET \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
    "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME"

   PowerShell (Windows)

   Execute the following command:

   $cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
   $headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }
   
   Invoke-WebRequest `
    -Method GET `
    -Headers $headers `
    -Uri "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_NAME" | Select-Object -Expand Content

   You should receive a JSON response similar to the following:

   upgradableDatabaseVersions:
   {
    major_version: "MYSQL_8_0"
    name: "MYSQL_8_0_36"
    display_name: "MySQL 8.0.36"
   }
   

   For the complete list of the database versions that Cloud SQL supports, see Database versions and version policies.

2. Test your upgrade in a staging environment.

   1. Create a clone of your production instance to serve as a staging instance. This creates a new database instance, with the same major and minor versions.

   2. Perform a minor version upgrade on the staging instance.

   3. Run workload tests to verify that the upgrade was successful and that your application performs as expected. When testing is successful, proceed to upgrade your read replica instances.

3. Upgrade your read replica instances.

   1. Upgrade all read replicas in the database to the target minor version.

   2. Verify that your application works as expected.

4. Back up your primary instance.

   As with any significant database update, make a backup of your primary instance.

Upgrade the minor version

You can specify the database minor version of an existing instance by using gcloud or the REST API. Perform minor version upgrades at a time when the database isn't in use. If your instance requires a restart, then as a result, your instance experiences some downtime. Cloud SQL Enterprise Plus edition instances experience near-zero downtime. If the installed version is higher than the requested version, then the request is rejected.

gcloudsqlinstancespatchINSTANCE_NAME\
--database-version=DATABASE_VERSION

PATCH https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID

{
 "databaseVersion": "DATABASE_VERSION"
}

curl -X PATCH \
 -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
 -d @request.json \
 "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID"

$cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
$headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }

Invoke-WebRequest `
 -Method PATCH `
 -Headers $headers `
 -ContentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8" `
 -InFile request.json `
 -Uri "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID" | Select-Object -Expand Content

{
 "kind": "sql#operation",
 "targetLink": "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID",
 "status": "PENDING",
 "user": "user@example.com",
 "insertTime": "2022-07-17T20:23:15.540Z",
 "operationType": "UPDATE",
 "name": "fa3f7304-ccf6-4d2f-a6f5-24df00000032",
 "targetId": "INSTANCE_ID",
 "selfLink": "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/operations/fa3f7304-ccf6-4d2f-a6f5-24df00000032",
 "targetProject": "PROJECT_ID"
}

PATCH https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT-ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID

{
 "databaseVersion": "DATABASE_VERSION"
}

curl -X PATCH \
 -H "Authorization: Bearer $(gcloud auth print-access-token)" \
 -H "Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8" \
 -d @request.json \
 "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT-ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID"

$cred = gcloud auth print-access-token
$headers = @{ "Authorization" = "Bearer $cred" }

Invoke-WebRequest `
 -Method PATCH `
 -Headers $headers `
 -ContentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8" `
 -InFile request.json `
 -Uri "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT-ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID" | Select-Object -Expand Content

{
 "kind": "sql#operation",
 "targetLink": "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT_ID/instances/INSTANCE_ID",
 "status": "PENDING",
 "user": "user@example.com",
 "insertTime": "2022-07-17T20:23:15.540Z",
 "operationType": "UPDATE",
 "name": "fa3f7304-ccf6-4d2f-a6f5-24df00000032",
 "targetId": "INSTANCE-ID",
 "selfLink": "https://sqladmin.googleapis.com/sql/v1beta4/projects/PROJECT_ID/operations/fa3f7304-ccf6-4d2f-a6f5-24df00000032",
 "targetProject": "PROJECT_ID"
}

Check the database minor installed version

When you view the instance summary information, the database minor installed version is visible in the Configuration section.

Roll back an upgrade

While testing an upgrade, if you notice an issue, you might want to roll back your database to recover the database instance running the previous minor version.

To restore a pre-upgrade backup, complete the following steps:

1. Provision a recovery database instance on the previous minor version.
2. Configure settings on the recovery database instance to the pre-upgrade state.
3. Restore the pre-upgrade backup you took to the recovery instance.

As an alternative to restoring a backup, perform a point-in-time recovery and create a new instance.