# Amazon RDS for MariaDB Now Supports MariaDB 12.3!

Hello, it's me! Today I've got a quieter but genuinely useful database update for you.

## What was announced?

According to AWS's What's New, Amazon RDS for MariaDB now supports MariaDB 12.3, the latest long-term support (LTS) release from the MariaDB community — specifically minor version 12.3.2.

## The story so far

Before this, RDS for MariaDB couldn't take advantage of what MariaDB 12.3 brings. For example, migrating from Oracle meant rewriting Oracle-specific functions for MariaDB, and validating JSON documents had to happen in application code instead of the database itself.

## What changes

Support for MariaDB 12.3 makes several of those pain points easier:

- Oracle `TO_DATE()` function compatibility, cutting down code changes needed when migrating from Oracle to MariaDB
- A new `IS JSON` predicate, so you can validate JSON documents natively in the database instead of in application code
- A smarter query optimizer that handles reorderable LEFT JOIN statements and ordered scans over RANGE partitions more efficiently — better performance with no application changes

If you're doing migration or ops work, these are small but meaningful improvements.

## Dive Deep

There are several ways to upgrade:

- Amazon RDS Blue/Green Deployments
- In-place major version upgrade
- Restoring from a snapshot

If you're migrating from an external MariaDB source, you can also use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS). Check the Amazon RDS for MariaDB page for pricing and regional availability.

## Wrap-up

- Amazon RDS for MariaDB now supports MariaDB 12.3 (12.3.2)
- Highlights: Oracle-compatible functions, native JSON validation, and query optimizer improvements
- Multiple upgrade paths available: Blue/Green, in-place, snapshot restore, or DMS migration

If you're running MariaDB on RDS and thinking about an Oracle migration or leaning on JSON, this update is for you!