Supported engines and versions #

This page is for database administrators who must state, in a design document or a hosting offer, which database server versions an Exponential 6.0.x site may run on. It answers: which engines are supported, in which order the project recommends them, which version numbers are real requirements and which are only historical floors, and how well each engine is tested. The figures come from Database support, which was checked against the code and the continuous integration of the 6.0.15 line.

Contents #

1. The official order
2. Three numbers per engine
3. The version table
4. PHP versions
5. What the project tests
6. Engines that are not supported
7. How to state support in your own documents

The official order #

Supported databases (Exponential 6.0.x), in order of preference: 1. SQLite 3 (the default) · 2. PostgreSQL · 3. MongoDB · 4. MariaDB · 5. Oracle · 6. MySQL. Microsoft SQL Server is known to be possible with additional work at this time.

All six have a driver in the kernel or in a shipped extension, an entry in the setup wizard and a path in the command-line installers. The order is a recommendation for new sites; it is not a ranking of quality. MySQL is last because the project recommends the others first, not because it works less well (Database support).

Three numbers per engine #

• Wizard floor: the oldest server version the setup wizard accepts, from eZSetupDatabaseMap() in kernel/setup/ezsetupcommon.php. It is kept from earlier releases so the wizard does not refuse an old server outright. It is not a recommendation.
• Practical minimum: the oldest version the current drivers really need, because of a feature they use.
• Seen working: the versions the project runs on its development server and in CI.

Plan with the practical minimum and a release your vendor still supports with security fixes.

The version table #

Check what your servers run before an install:

php --ri sqlite3 | grep -i "library"      # SQLite library inside PHP
psql --version                             # PostgreSQL client; SELECT version(); on the server
mysql --version                            # MySQL or MariaDB client; SELECT VERSION(); on the server
mongosh --eval 'db.version()'              # MongoDB server

On a running site, Setup > System information, card Database, shows the engine and the server version (System information).

PHP versions #

Exponential 6.0.x runs on PHP 8.0 to 8.5 (PHP 7.4 usable without support) (composer.json). The database drivers follow that range with one exception: the MongoDB adapter needs PHP 8.2 or later. Velocity, the recommended web server, needs PHP 8.1. For Oracle, PECL oci8 3.4 serves PHP 8.4 and 8.5 and oci8 3.2 serves PHP 8.1 to 8.3 (PHP extensions per engine).

What the project tests #

Source: .github/workflows/ as described in Database support. If your production engine is not tested in CI (MariaDB, Oracle), run the upgrade on a staging copy first and keep the restore tested (Restoring a database).

Engines that are not supported #

• Microsoft SQL Server: no driver, no schema handler, no installer entry in 6.0.x. It is known to be possible with additional work (Microsoft SQL Server: status for DBAs).
• Any other engine (for example a cloud database that speaks neither of these protocols): not supported. Managed services that run one of the six engines (a managed PostgreSQL or MySQL) are the same engine to Exponential; check that they allow the privileges listed on Database accounts and privileges, and for PostgreSQL that pgcrypto can be created.

How to state support in your own documents #

1. Name the engine and a version at or above the practical minimum.
2. Name the PHP extension and its version (pgsql, mysqli, sqlite3, mongodb 1.18+, oci8 3.2/3.4).
3. Name the character set (UTF8, utf8mb4, AL32UTF8; see Character sets and collations).
4. Say whether the engine is in the project's CI, and if not, what you test yourself.
5. Link Database support as the project's own statement, and give the date you checked it.

Related pages #

• Choosing an engine
• PHP extensions per engine
• Databases in the official order (for hosting companies)
• Chapter 2, Requirements
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.