PostgreSQL 14 Gets Its Final Fix on November 12. What Happens to Your Database Next?

The last fix for PostgreSQL 14 is nine days away

PostgreSQL is a free database that sits behind a lot of business software, from websites to vendor apps to reporting tools. The project supports each major version for five years and then ships one final update.

Version 14 came out on September 30, 2021. Its final release is set for November 12, 2026, the same day the project plans its next round of updates for every supported version. After that, version 14 gets no more fixes from the community, including security fixes.

Nothing shuts off that day. The database keeps running. It just stops getting repairs, and the risk grows a little every month after that.

What the cloud providers do next

If your database runs on Amazon RDS, standard support for version 14 lasts until February 28, 2027. Starting March 1, 2027, databases still on version 14 move into RDS Extended Support, which AWS charges extra for. AWS lists a separate year three price starting March 1, 2029, and extended support for version 14 ends February 28, 2030. After that, AWS upgrades the database for you.

Google Cloud SQL puts version 14 into extended support on February 1, 2027, and Google charges for extended support. It lasts three years. On February 1, 2030, Google retires version 14 and upgrades any instances still on it.

Azure Database for PostgreSQL lists January 31, 2027 as the end of standard support for version 14. Once a version is retired, Azure stops patching the database engine and you cannot create new servers on it. In rare cases where a serious flaw threatens the service, Azure says it may stop affected servers until they are upgraded.

Why old versions hang around

People who build software like PostgreSQL. In the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey it ranked as both the most desired and the most admired database, a spot it has held since 2023. That is why it often shows up inside vendor products and apps built by outside developers, where nobody on staff knows which version is running.

Moving to a new major version also takes real work. The PostgreSQL project says a major upgrade needs either a full dump and reload of the data or its pg_upgrade tool. You can skip versions, but you should read the release notes for each version you skip. Small updates inside the same version, like 14.23 to 14.24, are much simpler.

How to plan the move off PostgreSQL 14

1. 1Find every PostgreSQL database you run, including the ones inside vendor products and cloud accounts, and write down the version of each.
2. 2For each database on version 14, name one person who owns it and the business work that depends on it.
3. 3Ask your software vendors which newer PostgreSQL versions they support before you choose a target.
4. 4Pick a target with room to grow. Version 18 is supported until November 2030, while version 15 ends in November 2027.
5. 5Run a test upgrade on a copy of the data and time it, so you know how long the real cutover will take.
6. 6Check your extensions, reports and connection settings against the release notes for each version you skip.
7. 7If you are on AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, put the end of standard support date on the calendar and plan to finish before it.
8. 8Take a fresh backup and prove you can restore it before the cutover day.

What this means if you run a company in Oklahoma

For most companies the database is something nobody thinks about until it breaks. Energy firms, clinics, manufacturers and city offices across Oklahoma run on vendor software, and some of it may be sitting on PostgreSQL 14 today.

You do not have to be done by November 12. You do need a list, an owner for each database and a target date, ideally before the cloud charges start in early 2027.

At Oklahoma Data Partners, we work only with data and only in Oklahoma. We help Oklahoma companies find the databases they run, plan upgrades and test them so the move goes quietly. If you want help planning your move off PostgreSQL 14, book a consultation.