How to upgrade CyberPanel 2.4.4 MariaDB 10.11.x to MariaDB 11.8 (Ubuntu 24.04)

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TL;DR - CyberPanel 2.4.4 to MariaDB 11.8 (Ubuntu 24.04)

:white_check_mark: Yes, it works
:warning: No, it’s not for beginners
:warning: Do Not Attempt

I successfully upgraded CyberPanel 2.4.4 from MariaDB 10.11.x → MariaDB 11.8 LTS on Ubuntu 24.04 using an in-place upgrade (no removals, no data loss).

IMPORTANT!!!
Snapshot first or any other backups
Keep existing MariaDB config files when prompted
Do NOT purge MariaDB
Dry-run before upgrading
Verify CyberPanel DB auth before & after

If you’re not comfortable recovering a broken database from backup, don’t attempt this.

Upgrade Notes.. will add to thread later

I’m sharing a tested upgrade path for admins running CyberPanel 2.4.4 on Ubuntu 24.04 who want to move from the default MariaDB 10.11.x to MariaDB 11.8 LTS.

:warning: Important Warnings

Not officially supported by CyberPanel
Do not try on production without testing
You must be comfortable with CLI recovery
Snapshot your VPS before touching MariaDB
If you don’t understand what mariadb-upgrade does, stop

:white_check_mark: What worked for me…
In-place upgrade using the official MariaDB 11.8 repo
No removal of mariadb* packages
Preserved /etc/mysql and CyberPanel’s DB credentials
CyberPanel UI, DB creation, and phpMyAdmin all continued working

:brain: Core Principles (why this didn’t break)…
Never purge MariaDB
Always keep your existing 50-server.cnf
Put any tuning in a 99-*.cnf overlay
Verify CyberPanel DB user before and after
Upgrade first, tune later

----+±—MWA--------

Why MariaDB 11.8 LTS? (The Real Reasons)

The primary reasons I moved to MariaDB 11.8 LTS are performance longevity and native vector support — not novelty.

Performance & Stability

LTS support through 2028 fewer forced upgrades
Continued optimizer, InnoDB, and I/O improvements over 10.11
Better long-term fit for modern workloads (not just classic LAMP)
For admins managing multiple WordPress or high-traffic sites, that stability matters more than short-term benchmarks.

More details coming…

2

------------------MWA--------------------------------

WORKS ON

  • OpenLiteSpeed
  • LiteSpeed Enterprise

WARNING!!! DO NOT TRY THIS IF YOU’RE SCARED – DO YOUR DD!!!

:test_tube: High-level steps (details coming in replies)

  1. Confirm CyberPanel DB access:
mariadb -ucyberpanel -p"$(cat /etc/cyberpanel/mysqlPassword)" -e "SELECT 1;"
  1. Add MariaDB 11.8 repo
  2. Dry-run:
apt -s dist-upgrade
  1. Upgrade:
apt dist-upgrade -y

➜ When prompted about MariaDB config files: keep current versions
5. Finalize:

mariadb-upgrade -uroot
systemctl restart mariadb
  1. Verify:
mariadb -uroot -e "SELECT VERSION();"

:pushpin: Final note

This worked cleanly for me on multiple test VPSes, including setups using OpenLiteSpeed and LiteSpeed Enterprise. That said, your mileage may vary depending on custom configs, plugins, or prior upgrades.

Do your own due diligence.
Test first. Snapshot always.

I’ll follow up with:

  • full command output
  • config layout
  • WordPress-specific tuning
  • LiteSpeed notes

CURRENTLY CYBERPANEL OFFICIALLY DOES NOT SUPPORT MariaDB 11.8, but I had to get it done because I am using MariaDB 11.8

MariaDB 11.8, which is the current Long-Term Support (LTS) release, natively includes vector search capabilities that enable semantic search. This feature allows the database to understand the meaning and context of data, moving beyond traditional keyword matching to power AI applications. I am creating a vector semantic search engine and a related post function for WordPress.

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