Q100728: What you must do before upgrading to Flix 8

Pete

Updated: January 20, 2026 15:57

Created: January 20, 2026 15:57

SUMMARY

Upgrading to Flix 8 has a few new requirements compared to previous versions of Flix. You will need to upgrade your MySQL server to version 8 or 8.4, and you must be running Flix 7.1.x before you can upgrade to Flix 8. Archiving old shows in Flix 7.1.x before upgrading to Flix 8 is recommended to speed up the upgrade process.

This article explains why these requirements are necessary and guides how to meet them.

MORE INFORMATION

1. MySQL 8 or 8.4 is required: Flix 8 no longer supports MySQL 5.7, which reached its end-of-life in October 2023. Therefore, if your current MySQL version is 5.7, you will need to upgrade it to version 8 or 8.4 before attempting to upgrade to Flix 8.
    
2. Upgrade from Flix 7.1.x: To upgrade to Flix 8, your current Flix installation must be version 7.1.x. If you are on an older version of Flix, you will first need to upgrade to Flix 7.1.x. Flix 7.1 introduced an archive feature that allows studios to back up and archive old shows. The archive reduces the size of the database and assets directory. You can learn how to archive a show from the Archive, Restore or Delete a Show guide. We strongly recommend archiving any old or unused shows before upgrading to Flix 8. Reducing the size of the database will significantly speed up the Flix upgrade process.

FURTHER READING

• For more in-depth information about the MySQL 8 requirement for Flix 8, please refer to the article: Q100696: Flix 8 will require MySQL 8
• If you need assistance with installing MySQL 8, you can find instructions in the article: Q100551: Installing MySQL 8 on Red Hat 7 or Rocky 9
• You can read the Installing Flix Server guide to learn how to install a new Flix server.