Using an Aurora PostgreSQL long-term support (LTS) release
Each new Aurora PostgreSQL version remains available for a certain amount of time for you to use when you create or upgrade a DB cluster. After this period, you must upgrade any clusters that use that version. You can manually upgrade your cluster before the support period ends, or Aurora can automatically upgrade it for you when its Aurora PostgreSQL version is no longer supported.
Aurora designates certain Aurora PostgreSQL versions as long-term support (LTS) releases. Database clusters that use LTS releases can stay on the same version longer and undergo fewer upgrade cycles than clusters that use non-LTS releases. LTS minor versions include only bug fixes (through patch versions); an LTS version doesn't include new features released after its introduction.
Once a year, DB clusters running on an LTS minor version are patched to the latest patch version of the LTS release. We do this patching to help ensure that you benefit from cumulative security and stability fixes. We might patch an LTS minor version more frequently if there are critical fixes, such as for security, that need to be applied.
Note
If you want to remain on an LTS minor version for the duration of its lifecycle, make sure to disable automatic minor version upgrade for your DB instances. To avoid automatically upgrading your DB cluster from the LTS minor version, clear the Enable auto minor version upgrade check box on any DB instance in your Aurora cluster.
We recommend that you upgrade to the latest release, instead of using the LTS release, for most of your Aurora PostgreSQL clusters. Doing so takes advantage of Aurora as a managed service and gives you access to the latest features and bug fixes. LTS releases are intended for clusters with the following characteristics:
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You can't afford downtime on your Aurora PostgreSQL application for upgrades outside of rare occurrences for critical patches.
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The testing cycle for the cluster and associated applications takes a long time for each update to the Aurora PostgreSQL database engine.
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The database version for your Aurora PostgreSQL cluster has all the DB engine features and bug fixes that your application needs.
The current LTS releases for Aurora PostgreSQL are as follows:
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PostgreSQL 14.6. It was released on January 20, 2023. For more information, see PostgreSQL 14.6 in the Release Notes for Aurora PostgreSQL.
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PostgreSQL 13.9. It was released on January 20, 2023. For more information, see PostgreSQL 13.9 in the Release Notes for Aurora PostgreSQL.
PostgreSQL 12.9. It was released on February 25, 2022. For more information, see PostgreSQL 12.9 in the Release Notes for Aurora PostgreSQL.
PostgreSQL 11.9 (Aurora PostgreSQL release 3.4. It was released on December 11, 2020. For more information about this version, see PostgreSQL 11.9, Aurora PostgreSQL release 3.4 in the Release Notes for Aurora PostgreSQL.
For information about how to identify Aurora and database engine versions, see Identifying versions of Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL.