> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cloud.laravel.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Upgrading from MySQL 8.0 to MySQL 8.4

> Learn how to prepare for and perform the upgrade from MySQL 8.0 to MySQL 8.4 on Laravel Cloud.

MySQL 8.0 is entering end-of-life in April 2026. We recommend upgrading all Laravel MySQL 8.0 databases to 8.4 as soon as possible. Laravel Cloud handles the upgrade for you, but **the upgrade is irreversible**, so take a few minutes to prepare before starting.

## Before you upgrade

### 1. Back up your database

Before you do anything, create a manual backup of your database. If something goes wrong, this backup is your only way to recover.

1. Go to **Organization > Resources > Databases**.
2. Click your Laravel MySQL 8.0 database cluster.
3. Find the **Backups** section on the cluster page.
4. Click **New backup**.
5. Give your backup a name and an optional description, then click **Create backup**.

Learn more about [Laravel MySQL backups](/docs/resources/databases/laravel-mysql#database-backups).

### 2. Review core changes between 8.0 and 8.4

Most applications will upgrade without issues, but check the following:

**Foreign key strictness.** Foreign key constraints now require a unique key on the parent table's referenced column, not just any index. If your schema has foreign keys referencing non-unique indexes, the upgrade will fail. Check your schema and make sure all referenced columns have a unique key or primary key.

**New reserved keywords.** MySQL 8.4 reserves several new words, including `MANUAL`, `PARALLEL`, `QUALIFY`, and `TABLESAMPLE`. If you use any of these as unquoted table or column names, queries will break. Either quote or rename those identifiers.

**`FLOAT` or `DOUBLE` with `AUTO_INCREMENT`.** MySQL 8.0 deprecated this combination, and MySQL 8.4 removes it entirely. If any of your tables have a column matching this combination, the upgrade will fail. Check with:

```sql theme={null}
SELECT table_schema, table_name, column_name, data_type
FROM information_schema.columns
WHERE extra LIKE '%auto_increment%'
AND data_type IN ('float', 'double');
```

If you get results, convert those columns to an integer type (for example, `BIGINT`) before proceeding.

For the complete list of changes, see the [MySQL 8.4 upgrade documentation](https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.4/en/upgrading-from-previous-series.html).

## Performing the upgrade

### 3. Run the upgrade

> [!WARNING]
>
> Upgrading to MySQL 8.4 is irreversible.

You can start the upgrade from the Laravel Cloud dashboard:

1. Go to **Organization > Resources > Databases**.
2. Find your Laravel MySQL 8.0 database.
3. Click **Upgrade** on the yellow banner below the database.
4. Confirm your upgrade.

![](https://mintcdn.com/cloud/52IA0MrcdN0kBtGa/images/mysql_80_to_84_upgrade.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=52IA0MrcdN0kBtGa\&q=85\&s=e9f513a71634bd127624ba1e2c508d0f)

The process takes up to a few minutes. **Your database will be briefly unavailable during this time**. We recommend running the upgrade during a low-traffic window.

### 4. Verify your application

After the upgrade completes, confirm that your application is connecting and behaving normally.

## After the upgrade

### 5. Delete your backup (optional)

Once you're confident everything is working, you can delete the backup from step 1 to free up storage.

1. Go to **Organization > Resources > Databases**.
2. Click your database cluster (now on 8.4).
3. Find the **Backups** section on the cluster page.
4. Click **...** next to your manual backup and select **Delete**.