AWS End-of-Support and EOL Reference - Lambda, EKS, RDS and Aurora, ElastiCache, and OpenSearch Service

First Published:
Last Updated:

This page is a single, officially sourced reference for AWS end-of-support and end-of-life (EOL) dates. Across AWS, the information you need to plan an upgrade — when a Lambda runtime is deprecated, when an Amazon EKS Kubernetes version leaves standard support, when an Amazon RDS or Aurora engine version reaches end of standard support, when an ElastiCache engine version reaches EOL — lives on a different documentation page for every service, and each service uses its own vocabulary. The goal here is to collect those official facts in one place, translate each service's terminology into a common frame, and link every row back to the authoritative AWS page so you can confirm the current date before you act.

This is the AWS counterpart to the cross-vendor AI Model Deprecation and Lifecycle Calendar. Related references on hidekazu-konishi.com:

1. Introduction

Facts in this article were verified against official AWS documentation as of 2026-07-24. Every date and version below was transcribed from the AWS documentation page linked in the same section — this page does not use second-hand trackers or aggregators. Because AWS adds versions, adjusts dates, and marks new deprecations over time, the future dates here are plans that can change. Always confirm the current date on the official page linked in each section before you upgrade, migrate, or budget for a change.

The First Published and Last Updated dates at the top of the page indicate its currency. This page is reviewed and updated periodically, and whenever AWS announces a significant end-of-support change.

Scope of this edition (v1)

This first edition covers the areas where AWS publishes a concrete, dated support schedule that engineers most often need to look up:
  • AWS Lambda managed runtimes (deprecation schedule).
  • Amazon EKS Kubernetes versions (standard and extended support).
  • Amazon RDS and Amazon Aurora database engine major versions (standard support and RDS Extended Support) for MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB, plus the commercial engines: SQL Server, Oracle, and Db2.
  • Amazon ElastiCache engine versions (the Redis OSS end-of-life schedule).
  • Amazon OpenSearch Service engine versions (OpenSearch and legacy Elasticsearch).
  • Amazon MSK Apache Kafka versions (the published end-of-support schedule).
  • AWS SDKs and Tools, plus a note on EC2 previous-generation instances and a sample of service-level end-of-support announcements.

What this page intentionally does not include: pricing or cost figures (I note when a phase carries additional charges, but not the amounts); step-by-step migration mechanics (those live in the dedicated guides linked below); minor-version tables for RDS and Aurora (these change roughly monthly and are best read live on the official calendars); and the history of services that AWS has already fully shut down. Where AWS itself has not published a date, this page shows Not announced rather than guessing.

2. How to Read AWS Support Lifecycles

Each AWS service uses its own words for the two ideas that matter to an upgrade plan: "still usable but scheduled to go away" and "no longer supported / no longer usable." The table below maps each service's official vocabulary onto that common frame, so the rest of the page reads consistently. The terms are the ones AWS uses in its own documentation.

Service"Still usable, scheduled to end" state"No longer supported / usable" stateMinimum notice (per AWS docs)
AWS Lambda (runtimes) Deprecated — the runtime no longer receives security patches and is not eligible for technical support, but existing functions keep running. No hard shutdown: invocations continue indefinitely, but Lambda blocks function create, then update. At least 180 days (email, Health Dashboard, Trusted Advisor).
Amazon EKS End of standard support → the version enters extended support (at additional cost). End of extended support — the cluster is auto-upgraded to the oldest supported version. At least 60 days for the end-of-standard-support date.
Amazon RDS / Aurora End of standard support → the major version enters RDS Extended Support (at additional cost). End of Extended Support — AWS automatically upgrades the major engine version. Published on the release calendars in advance.
Amazon ElastiCache End of standard support → Extended Support (Redis OSS only, at additional cost). End of life (EOL) — remaining caches are auto-upgraded to the latest Valkey version. Deprecation with advance notice.
Amazon OpenSearch Service End of standard support → extended support (critical security fixes, at additional cost). End of extended support. Published on the support schedule in advance.
AWS SDKs and Tools Maintenance (announced first) — critical bug and security fixes only. End-of-Support — no more updates; the repository may be archived. Maintenance announced at least 6 months before it begins; GA supported at least 24 months.

Two ideas are worth keeping in mind while reading the tables:
  • Passing a date rarely deletes your data. In most cases the service keeps operating: Lambda continues to invoke deprecated runtimes, EKS and RDS auto-upgrade you to a supported version, and ElastiCache auto-upgrades to a current engine. The consequences are loss of patches and technical support, blocked create/update operations, forced upgrades, or extended-support charges — not immediate deletion.
  • Each service sets its own schedule. A given upstream version (say, a PostgreSQL major or a Kubernetes minor) can carry different end-of-support dates on RDS versus Aurora, or on EKS versus the upstream community. Always read the row for the exact service you run.

3. AWS Lambda Runtimes

Lambda provides a managed runtime for each major language version, identified by a runtime identifier such as nodejs22.x or python3.12. Lambda deprecates a runtime when a major component — usually the language runtime, sometimes the underlying operating system — reaches the end of its community long-term support. Because Lambda tracks the upstream language and OS, there is no fixed "number of years" a runtime lasts; the forecast dates below come straight from the official runtimes page and, in AWS's words, "are provided for planning purposes and are subject to change."

Amazon Linux 2 reached end of life on 2026-06-30. The AL2-based runtimes below (Java 8 on AL2, Java 11, Java 17, Python 3.10, Python 3.11, and provided.al2) continue to receive selected AL2 security patches until their deprecation dates, and AWS recommends moving to an Amazon Linux 2023-based runtime.

3.1 Supported runtimes

The following runtimes are currently supported, with their forecast deprecation dates. After the deprecation date, Lambda blocks new function creation (the "Block function create" date), then blocks updates to existing functions (the "Block function update" date); invocations are never blocked.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
IdentifierOperating systemDeprecation dateBlock function createBlock function update
nodejs24.xAmazon Linux 20232028-04-302028-06-012028-07-01
nodejs22.xAmazon Linux 20232027-04-302027-06-012027-07-01
python3.14Amazon Linux 20232029-06-302029-07-312029-08-31
python3.13Amazon Linux 20232029-06-302029-07-312029-08-31
python3.12Amazon Linux 20232028-10-312028-11-302029-01-10
python3.11Amazon Linux 22027-06-302027-07-312027-08-31
python3.10Amazon Linux 22026-10-312027-02-012027-03-03
java25Amazon Linux 20232029-06-302029-07-312029-08-31
java21Amazon Linux 20232029-06-302029-07-312029-08-31
java17Amazon Linux 22027-06-302027-07-312027-08-31
java11Amazon Linux 22027-06-302027-07-312027-08-31
java8.al2Amazon Linux 22027-06-302027-07-312027-08-31
dotnet10Amazon Linux 20232028-11-142028-12-142029-01-15
dotnet9 (container only)Amazon Linux 20232026-11-10Not scheduledNot scheduled
dotnet8Amazon Linux 20232026-11-102027-02-012027-03-03
ruby4.0Amazon Linux 20232029-03-312029-04-302029-05-31
ruby3.4Amazon Linux 20232028-03-312028-04-302028-05-31
ruby3.3Amazon Linux 20232027-03-312027-04-302027-05-31
provided.al2023 (OS-only)Amazon Linux 20232029-06-302029-07-312029-08-31
provided.al2 (OS-only)Amazon Linux 22026-07-312027-02-012027-03-03

AWS has also flagged upcoming runtime releases (target months, subject to change): Java 8, 11, and 17 on Amazon Linux 2023 around July 2026, Node.js 26 around November 2026, and Python 3.15 around November 2026.

3.2 Deprecated runtimes

These runtimes have already reached deprecation. Many share a Block function create date of 2027-02-01 and a Block function update date of 2027-03-03: AWS has deliberately delayed those cutoffs beyond the usual 30 and 60 days in response to customer feedback, giving more time to upgrade.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
IdentifierOperating systemDeprecation dateBlock function createBlock function update
nodejs20.xAmazon Linux 20232026-04-302027-02-012027-03-03
ruby3.2Amazon Linux 22026-03-312027-02-012027-03-03
python3.9Amazon Linux 22025-12-152027-02-012027-03-03
nodejs18.xAmazon Linux 22025-09-012027-02-012027-03-03
dotnet6Amazon Linux 22024-12-202027-02-012027-03-03
python3.8Amazon Linux 22024-10-142027-02-012027-03-03
nodejs16.xAmazon Linux 22024-06-122027-02-012027-03-03
dotnet7 (container only)Amazon Linux 22024-05-14N/AN/A
java8Amazon Linux2024-01-082024-02-082027-03-03
go1.xAmazon Linux2024-01-082024-02-082027-03-03
provided (OS-only)Amazon Linux2024-01-082024-02-082027-03-03
ruby2.7Amazon Linux 22023-12-072024-01-092027-03-03
nodejs14.xAmazon Linux 22023-12-042024-01-092027-03-03
python3.7Amazon Linux2023-12-042024-01-092027-03-03
dotnetcore3.1Amazon Linux 22023-04-032023-04-032023-05-03
nodejs12.xAmazon Linux 22023-03-312023-03-312023-04-30
python3.6Amazon Linux2022-07-182022-07-182022-08-29
dotnet5.0 (container only)Amazon Linux 22022-05-10N/AN/A
dotnetcore2.1Amazon Linux2022-01-052022-01-052022-04-13
nodejs10.xAmazon Linux 22021-07-302021-07-302022-02-14
ruby2.5Amazon Linux2021-07-302021-07-302022-03-31
python2.7Amazon Linux2021-07-152021-07-152022-05-30
nodejs8.10Amazon Linux2020-03-062020-02-042020-03-06
nodejs4.3Amazon Linux2020-03-052020-02-032020-03-05
nodejs4.3-edgeAmazon Linux2020-03-052019-03-312019-04-30
nodejs6.10Amazon Linux2019-08-122019-07-122019-08-12
dotnetcore1.0Amazon Linux2019-06-272019-06-302019-07-30
dotnetcore2.0Amazon Linux2019-05-302019-04-302019-05-30
nodejs (Node.js 0.10)Amazon Linux2016-08-302016-09-302016-10-31

How the phased lifecycle and notices work:
  • Deprecation — security patches stop, the runtime becomes ineligible for technical support, and you can no longer create or update functions with it in the Lambda console (though the CLI, SAM, and CloudFormation still work at this stage).
  • Block function create — at least 30 days after deprecation, Lambda blocks creating new functions on the runtime across all deployment paths.
  • Block function update — at least 60 days after deprecation, Lambda blocks code and configuration updates to existing functions. Invocations continue to work.
  • Notifications — Lambda alerts you at least 180 days before deprecation through an email to your account's primary contact, the AWS Health Dashboard, and AWS Trusted Advisor (which lists the affected functions).

Official source: Lambda runtimes - AWS Lambda Developer Guide.

4. Amazon EKS Kubernetes Versions

Amazon EKS follows the upstream Kubernetes release cycle, with a new minor version roughly every four months. A version gets standard support for 14 months from its EKS release, then extended support for another 12 months (26 months total). Extended support lets you stay on a version longer at an additional cost per cluster hour, and it is enabled by default. If you do not upgrade before extended support ends, EKS automatically upgrades the cluster's control plane to the oldest supported version. AWS commits to keeping at least three versions in standard support at any time and to announcing an end-of-standard-support date at least 60 days in advance. Billing for extended support starts at the beginning of the day a version reaches end of standard support (UTC+0).

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Kubernetes versionAmazon EKS releaseEnd of standard supportEnd of extended supportCurrent support tier
1.362026-06-022027-08-022028-08-02Standard
1.352026-01-272027-03-272028-03-27Standard
1.342025-10-022026-12-022027-12-02Standard
1.332025-05-292026-07-292027-07-29Standard
1.322025-01-232026-03-232027-03-23Extended
1.312024-09-262025-11-262026-11-26Extended
1.302024-05-232025-07-232026-07-23Extended

Official sources: Understand the Kubernetes version lifecycle on EKS, Kubernetes versions standard support, Kubernetes versions extended support.

5. Amazon RDS and Aurora Engine Versions

For Amazon RDS and Amazon Aurora, a major engine version is available under standard support at least until the corresponding community version reaches end of life. After that, you can keep running the major version past its end-of-standard-support date through RDS Extended Support, for a fee, and AWS will eventually force a major-version upgrade when Extended Support ends. The tables below list major versions. Minor versions reach end of support on their own, faster cadence and change roughly monthly, so this page links the official release calendars rather than reproducing a point-in-time snapshot that would quickly go stale.

The commercial engines follow a different pattern: RDS for SQL Server, RDS for Oracle, and RDS for Db2 anchor their support windows to the vendor's own lifecycle (Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM respectively) rather than a community end of life, and RDS Extended Support does not apply to them. They are covered in 5.6 through 5.8 below.

5.1 Amazon RDS for MySQL (major versions)

MySQL 5.7 and 8.0 are now available only under RDS Extended Support (both have passed end of standard support).

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Major versionRDS end of standard supportRDS end of Extended Support
MySQL 8.42029-07-312032-07-31
MySQL 8.02026-07-312029-07-31
MySQL 5.72024-02-292029-06-30

Note on MySQL 5.7: its Extended Support end date (2029-06-30) is later than the usual three-year Extended Support window would imply. AWS announced an extension for MySQL 5.7, and the major-version calendar now reflects the later date.

5.2 Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL (major versions)

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Major versionRDS end of standard supportRDS end of Extended Support
PostgreSQL 182031-02-282034-02-28
PostgreSQL 172030-02-282033-02-28
PostgreSQL 162029-02-282032-02-29
PostgreSQL 152028-02-292031-02-28
PostgreSQL 142027-02-282030-02-28
PostgreSQL 132026-02-282029-02-28
PostgreSQL 122025-02-282028-02-29
PostgreSQL 112024-02-292027-03-31
PostgreSQL 10 (deprecated)2023-04 (approx.)—
PostgreSQL 9.6 (deprecated)2022-04-30—

5.3 Amazon RDS for MariaDB (major versions)

RDS Extended Support is not available for RDS for MariaDB — only for RDS for MySQL and RDS for PostgreSQL. MariaDB major versions remain available at least until the corresponding community end of life. AWS publishes these end-of-standard-support dates to month precision (dates with only a month and year are approximate).

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Major versionRDS end of standard support (approx.)Extended Support
MariaDB 11.82030-06Not available
MariaDB 11.42029-05Not available
MariaDB 10.112028-02Not available
MariaDB 10.62026-11Not available
MariaDB 10.52026-08Not available

5.4 Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition (major versions)

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Aurora major versionAurora end of standard supportAurora end of Extended Support
Aurora MySQL 8.4 (MySQL 8.4)2032-04 (approx.)To be determined
Aurora MySQL 3 (MySQL 8.0)2028-04-302029-07-31
Aurora MySQL 2 (MySQL 5.7)2024-10-312029-06-30
Aurora MySQL 1 (MySQL 5.6, deprecated)2023-02-28—

5.5 Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition (major versions)

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Aurora PostgreSQL major versionAurora end of standard supportAurora end of Extended Support
PostgreSQL 182031-02-282034-02-28
PostgreSQL 172030-02-282033-02-28
PostgreSQL 162029-02-282032-02-28
PostgreSQL 152028-02-292031-02-28
PostgreSQL 142027-02-282030-02-28
PostgreSQL 132026-02-282029-02-28
PostgreSQL 122025-02-282028-02-29
PostgreSQL 112024-02-292027-03-31

RDS Extended Support in brief:
  • It keeps a major engine version running past end of standard support, with critical CVE and bug-fix patches, for up to three years, after which AWS automatically upgrades the major version.
  • It is available for RDS for MySQL, RDS for PostgreSQL, Aurora MySQL, and Aurora PostgreSQL — not for RDS for MariaDB.
  • It is a paid, metered offering: AWS automatically charges for Extended Support starting the day after standard support ends (this page does not list amounts — see the official pricing pages).
  • You choose whether to enable it at instance creation or restore; if enabled, AWS auto-enrolls the instance once the standard-support end date passes, with no change to the engine version.

Official sources: MySQL on Amazon RDS versions, Release calendars for Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, MariaDB on Amazon RDS versions, Release calendars for Amazon Aurora MySQL, Release calendars for Aurora PostgreSQL, Amazon RDS Extended Support, Versions with Amazon RDS Extended Support.

5.6 Amazon RDS for SQL Server (major versions)

RDS for SQL Server ties its support windows to Microsoft's lifecycle. The official version-support policy lists, for each SQL Server major version, the Microsoft end-of-support date as the anchor, and describes those dates as "the earliest possible required upgrade timeline," which "may be extended later by Amazon." When a version reaches its end on RDS, AWS stops new instance creation ahead of the date and eventually upgrades remaining instances automatically.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Major versionMicrosoft end of support (RDS upgrade anchor)Status on RDS
SQL Server 20252036-01-06Supported
SQL Server 20222033-01-11Supported
SQL Server 20192030-01-08Supported
SQL Server 20172027-10-12Supported
SQL Server 20162026-07-14 (passed)End of support reached — see note
SQL Server 2014—RDS support ended 2024-06-01
SQL Server 2012—RDS support ended 2022-06-01

Note on SQL Server 2016: the RDS documentation scheduled new-instance creation to stop on 2026-01-15 and RDS support to end on 2026-07-14, with remaining instances upgraded automatically to SQL Server 2019. That date has now passed as of this page's verification date; confirm the state of any remaining 2016 instances on the official page.

Official sources: Microsoft SQL Server versions on Amazon RDS (version policy), RDS for SQL Server version support.

5.7 Amazon RDS for Oracle (major releases)

RDS for Oracle publishes support dates for major releases in a column literally titled the "expected date for upgrading to a newer version" — in practice, the end-of-support anchor. The dates differ by license model (Bring Your Own License or License Included) and by whether the release participates in Oracle's Extended Support, which carries additional charges (amounts are out of scope here). The documentation states that if Amazon extends support beyond a stated date, the table will be updated to the later date.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Major releaseExpected date for upgrading to a newer version
Oracle Database 26ai2031-12-31 (BYOL Premier Support); with Oracle Extended Support: Not announced
Oracle Database 21c2027-07-31 (Oracle Extended Support does not apply)
Oracle Database 19c2029-12-31 (BYOL Premier Support and License Included); 2032-12-31 with Oracle Extended Support (additional charges)

Earlier major releases have already ended on RDS, each followed by an automatic-upgrade window to 19c: Oracle 18c on 2021-06-30, Oracle 12.2.0.1 on 2022-03-31, Oracle 12.1.0.2 on 2022-07-31, and Oracle 11.2.0.4 on 2020-10-31 (SE1 License Included) / 2020-12-31 (BYOL, all editions).

Note: the separately named Amazon RDS Custom for Oracle entered the Sunset stage in AWS's March 2026 Service Availability Updates (effective from 2026-04-30). That is a distinct service from the standard Amazon RDS for Oracle covered here.

Official sources: Support dates for major releases of RDS for Oracle, RDS for Oracle releases.

5.8 Amazon RDS for Db2 (major versions)

RDS for Db2 states that a major version remains under standard support "at least until" the IBM end of support for the corresponding Db2 release, so the anchor here is IBM's lifecycle. The documentation notes that dates with only a month and a year are approximate and are updated when an exact date is known.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Major versionIBM release dateRDS release dateIBM end of support (base)IBM end of support (extended)
Db2 12.1 (v12.1.4)2024-11-142026-05-29Not announcedNot announced
Db2 11.5 (v11.5.9)2019-06-272023-11-272027-04-302031-04-30

Supported editions currently include Db2 Standard and Advanced (v11.5.9 and v12.1.4) and, since June 2026, Db2 Community Edition (v12.1.4).

Official sources: Db2 on Amazon RDS versions, Supported Db2 versions on Amazon RDS.

6. Amazon ElastiCache Engine Versions

Amazon ElastiCache runs the Valkey, Redis OSS, and Memcached engines. The only dated end-of-life calendar AWS currently publishes for ElastiCache is for Redis OSS major versions. As with the databases, a Redis OSS version passes end of standard support into a paid Extended Support period, and then reaches full EOL, after which remaining caches are automatically upgraded to the latest Valkey version. A cache not upgraded before standard support ends is auto-enrolled in Extended Support the following day.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Redis OSS major versionEnd of standard supportEnd of Extended Support and version EOL
Redis OSS v62027-01-312030-01-31
Redis OSS v52026-01-312029-01-31
Redis OSS v42026-01-312029-01-31

Older Redis OSS major versions have already passed EOL: version 3 (3.2.4, 3.2.6, 3.2.10) reached EOL on 2023-07-31, and version 2 reached EOL on 2023-01-13; AWS recommends upgrading to version 6.2 or higher.

Valkey and Memcached have no published dated EOL schedule. AWS lists supported Valkey versions (7.2.6 through 9.1) and Memcached versions without assigning end-of-support dates, stating only that older versions of all engines "will be deprecated following a standard end-of-life process, with advance notice." Do not assume a Valkey or Memcached EOL date that AWS has not published.

Official sources: Engine versions and upgrading in ElastiCache, ElastiCache Extended Support.

7. Amazon OpenSearch Service Versions

Amazon OpenSearch Service supports OpenSearch and legacy Elasticsearch OSS up to 7.10, the final open-source version; Elasticsearch versions after 7.10 are not open source under the ALv2 license and will never be supported. For versions past end of standard support, AWS provides critical security fixes under extended support for at least 12 months, at an additional flat fee per Normalized Instance Hour (this page does not list amounts). AWS has published dates only for the older version bands; newer versions are explicitly marked Not announced.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Software versionEnd of standard supportEnd of extended support
Elasticsearch 1.5 and 2.32025-11-072026-11-07
Elasticsearch 5.1 to 5.52025-11-072026-11-07
Elasticsearch 5.62025-11-072028-11-07
Elasticsearch 6.0 to 6.72025-11-072026-11-07
Elasticsearch 6.8Not announcedNot announced
Elasticsearch 7.1 to 7.82025-11-072026-11-07
Elasticsearch 7.9Not announcedNot announced
Elasticsearch 7.10Not announcedNot announced
OpenSearch 1.0 through 1.22025-11-072026-11-07
OpenSearch 1.3Not announcedNot announced
OpenSearch 2.3 to 2.92025-11-072026-11-07
OpenSearch 2.11 and higherNot announcedNot announced

Official source: What is Amazon OpenSearch Service? (supported versions and support schedule).

8. Amazon MSK Apache Kafka Versions

Amazon MSK (Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka) publishes an explicit end-of-support date for each Apache Kafka version it offers. The developer guide notes that the Apache Kafka community itself provides approximately 12 months of support for a version after its release, and MSK's own policy adds a hard consequence: a cluster still running a Kafka version after its end-of-support date is automatically upgraded to the recommended Kafka version — at any time after the date, without prior notification. That makes these dates operationally harder deadlines than most others on this page.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
Apache Kafka versionMSK release dateMSK end of support
Kafka 4.2.x2026-07-15Not announced
Kafka 4.1.x2025-10-15Not announced
Kafka 4.0.x2025-05-16Not announced
Kafka 3.9.x (recommended)2025-04-21Not announced
Kafka 3.8.x2025-02-20Not announced
Kafka 3.7.x2024-05-292026-09-01 (scheduled)

Versions that have already reached end of support, grouped by their end-of-support date: Kafka 3.6.0 on 2026-06-01; 3.5.1 on 2025-10-23; 3.4.0 on 2025-08-04; 2.8.2-tiered on 2025-01-14; the 2.6.0–3.3.2 group (2.6.x, 2.7.x, 2.8.0/2.8.1, 3.1.1, 3.2.0, and 3.3.1/3.3.2) on 2024-09-11; the 2.2.1–2.5.1 group on 2024-06-08; and 1.1.1 and 2.1.0 on 2024-06-05.

For Kafka 3.9, the MSK documentation history separately notes that MSK will provide extended support "for a minimum of two years from its release date" — a minimum guarantee rather than a dated commitment, so the table above still shows Not announced.

Official sources: Supported Apache Kafka versions - Amazon MSK, Amazon MSK version support policy.

9. AWS SDKs, Tools, and Other Service-Level End-of-Support

Beyond runtimes and engine versions, two other kinds of end-of-support come up often in planning: the lifecycle of AWS's own SDKs and tools, and the retirement of individual AWS services.

9.1 AWS SDKs and Tools

AWS SDKs and Tools move through five phases: Developer Preview, General Availability (supported for at least 24 months), Maintenance Announcement (made at least 6 months before maintenance begins), Maintenance (critical bug and security fixes only, default 12 months), and End-of-Support (no more updates; the GitHub repository may be archived). Underlying dependencies such as language runtimes are supported for at least 6 months after the community ends support for them. The table below lists notable major-version transitions.

* You can sort the table by clicking on the column name.
SDK or toolMajor versionCurrent phaseAnnounced End-of-Support
AWS SDK for JavaScriptv2End-of-Support2025-09-08
AWS SDK for Java1.xEnd-of-Support2025-12-31
AWS SDK for Gov1End-of-Support2025-07-31
AWS SDK for .NET3.xEnd-of-Support2026-06-01
AWS Tools for PowerShell4.xEnd-of-Support2026-06-01
AWS CLI1.xMaintenance2027-07-15

For Python-based tools (Boto3, Botocore, and AWS CLI v1), support tracks the Python version lifecycle: AWS drops a Python version roughly six months after the Python Software Foundation ends support for it. Support for Python 3.9 ended in April 2026, and current Botocore releases require Python 3.10 or higher.

Official sources: AWS SDKs and Tools maintenance policy, AWS SDKs and Tools version lifecycle, End-of-support for AWS SDK for JavaScript v2, End-of-support for AWS SDK for Java v1.x, End-of-support for AWS SDK for Go v1, AWS CLI v1 maintenance mode announcement, End-of-support for the AWS SDK for .NET v3, End-of-support for AWS Tools for PowerShell v4, Python support policy updates for AWS SDKs and Tools.

9.2 EC2 previous-generation instances

AWS labels older instance families (for example M1, M3, C1, C3, T1) as previous generation, but this is a classification, not a retirement schedule — AWS publishes no fixed EOL dates for them and states that previous-generation instances remain fully functional and will not be deleted. AWS encourages upgrading to current families for better price-performance, and says that if it ever decides to deprecate a previous-generation instance, affected customers will be notified. (Separately, the older EC2-Classic networking model was fully retired in 2023 — a distinct topic from previous-generation instance types.)

Official sources: Previous Generation Instances, Amazon EC2 FAQs.

9.3 Service-level end-of-support announcements

AWS also occasionally ends support for an entire service, giving existing customers a migration window and closing the service to new customers first. These are announced per service through the AWS Health Dashboard, the What's New feed, and a dedicated migration guide. Two current, dated examples:
  • Amazon Pinpoint — end of support on 2026-10-30; closed to new customers since 2025-05-20. (SMS, voice, mobile push, and related messaging APIs are unaffected, as they moved to AWS End User Messaging.)
  • Amazon Inspector Classic — end of support on 2026-05-20; closed to new customers since 2025-05-20. AWS directs customers to the new Amazon Inspector.

When a service is scheduled for end of support, the authoritative details are on that service's own migration guide, linked from the deprecation notice. Services that AWS has already fully shut down are a separate, historical topic outside this page's scope.

Official sources: Amazon Pinpoint end of support, Amazon Inspector Classic end of support.

10. Watching for Changes

Because these dates are plans that AWS updates over time, the reliable workflow is to treat the official pages as the source of truth and to wire up AWS's own notification channels:
  • Read the official schedule pages linked in each section above; they are the authoritative, current record. Several of them can be watched for changes (for example, the EKS release calendar page offers an RSS feed of its source-file commits).
  • AWS Health Dashboard surfaces upcoming deprecations and required actions for the specific resources in your account (Lambda runtimes, EKS versions, and more), under the Scheduled changes and Other notifications views.
  • AWS Trusted Advisor lists affected resources, such as Lambda functions on deprecated runtimes, and can send weekly email summaries.
  • The AWS What's New feed and service blogs announce new deprecations, extensions (such as the MySQL 5.7 Extended Support extension), and end-of-support decisions.
  • Query support dates programmatically where AWS exposes them — for example aws eks describe-cluster-versions for EKS, and describe-db-major-engine-versions for RDS — so you can build your own checks instead of hard-coding dates.

11. Frequently Asked Questions about AWS End-of-Support and EOL

How long does AWS support a Lambda runtime?
There is no fixed number of years. Lambda deprecates a runtime when its underlying language version or operating system reaches the end of community support, so the timeline tracks the upstream project. After the deprecation date, Lambda blocks new function creation at least 30 days later and blocks function updates at least 60 days later (some cutoffs have been pushed further out), while invocations keep working. AWS gives at least 180 days' notice by email, in the Health Dashboard, and in Trusted Advisor. The current forecast dates are in the tables in section 3.
What is RDS Extended Support?
It is a paid option to keep running a database on a major engine version past its RDS or Aurora end-of-standard-support date, for up to three years, receiving critical security and bug-fix patches. It is available for RDS for MySQL, RDS for PostgreSQL, Aurora MySQL, and Aurora PostgreSQL — but not for RDS for MariaDB. If you enable it when you create or restore an instance, AWS auto-enrolls the instance once standard support ends; additional charges apply. The dates are in section 5.
How often do Amazon EKS versions reach end of standard support?
Kubernetes releases a new minor version roughly every four months, and each version gets 14 months of standard support on EKS followed by 12 months of extended support (26 months total). AWS keeps at least three versions in standard support at any time and announces an end-of-standard-support date at least 60 days ahead. The per-version dates are in section 4.
Does the same version have the same end-of-support date everywhere?
No. A given upstream version can carry different dates depending on the AWS service. For example, a PostgreSQL major version has its own end-of-standard-support and Extended Support dates on RDS versus Aurora, and a Kubernetes minor version's EKS dates differ from the upstream community's. Always read the row for the exact service you are running.
What happens after an end-of-support date passes?
It depends on the service, and it usually is not immediate deletion. A deprecated Lambda runtime keeps invoking but blocks create and update operations. An EKS cluster past extended support is auto-upgraded to the oldest supported version; an ElastiCache cache past EOL is auto-upgraded to the latest Valkey; an MSK cluster past end of support is auto-upgraded to the recommended Kafka version. RDS, Aurora, and OpenSearch keep running but begin charging extended-support fees, and RDS or Aurora eventually forces a major-version upgrade. An end-of-support SDK simply stops receiving updates. In every case, the safe move is to upgrade before the date.
Do the commercial database engines (SQL Server, Oracle, Db2) work the same way as MySQL or PostgreSQL on RDS?
No. For the open-source engines, RDS standard support tracks the community end of life and RDS Extended Support can extend it for a fee. For the commercial engines, RDS anchors its support windows to the vendor's own lifecycle — Microsoft's end-of-support dates for SQL Server, Oracle's support dates (which differ by license model), and IBM's end-of-support dates for Db2 — and RDS Extended Support does not apply. The tables are in sections 5.6 through 5.8.
What happens when an Amazon MSK Kafka version reaches end of support?
MSK automatically upgrades clusters still running that version to the recommended Kafka version. The upgrade can happen at any time after the end-of-support date, and MSK states that you will not receive any notification before the upgrade — so plan and run the upgrade yourself well before the date shown in section 8.

12. Summary

AWS support and end-of-life information is spread across a separate page for every service, and each service uses different words — deprecation, end of standard support, Extended Support, EOL, End-of-Support — for the same handful of lifecycle states. This page consolidates the officially published dates for AWS Lambda runtimes, Amazon EKS Kubernetes versions, Amazon RDS and Aurora engine major versions (including the SQL Server, Oracle, and Db2 commercial engines), Amazon ElastiCache Redis OSS versions, Amazon OpenSearch Service versions, Amazon MSK Apache Kafka versions, and the AWS SDKs and Tools, maps each service's vocabulary onto a common frame, and links every section back to the authoritative AWS page.

This first edition covers the areas where AWS publishes a concrete, dated schedule, and it shows Not announced where AWS has not committed to a date (for example, Valkey and Memcached EOLs, and newer OpenSearch versions) rather than inventing one. The dates are plans that can change; the page is reviewed and updated periodically, and you should always confirm the current date on the official page linked in each section before you act. For deeper coverage of specific areas, see the related references below.

Related references on hidekazu-konishi.com:

13. References

Lambda runtimes - AWS Lambda Developer Guide
Understand the Kubernetes version lifecycle on EKS
MySQL on Amazon RDS versions
Release calendars for Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
MariaDB on Amazon RDS versions
Release calendars for Amazon Aurora MySQL
Release calendars for Aurora PostgreSQL
Amazon RDS Extended Support
Microsoft SQL Server versions on Amazon RDS (version policy)
Support dates for major releases of RDS for Oracle
Db2 on Amazon RDS versions
Supported Apache Kafka versions - Amazon MSK
Amazon MSK version support policy
Engine versions and upgrading in ElastiCache
What is Amazon OpenSearch Service?
AWS SDKs and Tools maintenance policy
AWS SDKs and Tools version lifecycle

References:
Tech Blog with curated related content

Written by Hidekazu Konishi