PostgreSQL 14 Reaches End of Life on November 12: Three Ways to Upgrade
PostgreSQL 14 gets its final release on November 12, 2026. After that, the community stops shipping fixes for it, security fixes included, so upgrade to PostgreSQL 18 with pg_upgrade, a dump and restore, or logical replication. What ends on November 12, 2026 The PostgreSQL project supports each major version for 5 years after its first release, then ships one final minor release and stops (…
PostgreSQL 14 will reach its end of life on November 12, 2026. After this date, the PostgreSQL community will no longer provide fixes, including security patches, for this version. To continue using PostgreSQL 14, users must upgrade to PostgreSQL 18. There are three methods to perform this upgrade: pg_upgrade, dump and restore, or logical replication.
The pg_upgrade method involves installing PostgreSQL 18 alongside PostgreSQL 14, creating a new cluster with initdb, and then running a check to ensure no data is affected. The downtime is minimal, especially in link mode, which skips copying files but prevents going back to the old version. The dump and restore method is the simplest but also the slowest, as it involves dumping the database from PostgreSQL 18, stopping the old database, loading the dump into the new database, and then running vacuumdb to refresh statistics.
Logical replication is a more complex method that involves setting wal_level = logical on the 14 server, creating a publication on the old server, and then creating a subscription on the 18 server. However, this method has limitations, as the schema does not replicate and sequences do not replicate. Managed databases may have different end dates for PostgreSQL 14 support, so it is essential to check the provider's specific schedule.
In summary, users have three options for upgrading from PostgreSQL 14: pg_upgrade, dump and restore, or logical replication, with each method having its own level of complexity and potential downtime.
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