Amazon RDS added support for MariaDB 12.3, the latest long-term support release, which introduces Oracle TO_DATE() compatibility to simplify application migration from Oracle databases. It also includes an IS JSON predicate for native JSON document validation and query optimizer improvements for LEFT JOINs and RANGE partition scans that enhance performance transparently.
RDS customers can upgrade using in-place methods, blue/green deployments, or snapshots and migrate external MariaDB databases via AWS Database Migration Service. This integration maintains managed simplicity while offering up-to-date MariaDB features in a scalable cloud environment.
Source & further reading
Amazon RDS for MariaDB now supports MariaDB 12.3 ↗Source published 2026-08-11. This report was prepared with AI assistance from the linked primary-source material. Claims and limitations should be checked against the original announcement or research.