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     <h3 class="title">
      <a name="which-version">
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      2.1.2 Which MySQL Version and Distribution to Install
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  <p>
   When preparing to install MySQL, decide which version and
      distribution format (binary or source) to use.
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  <p>
   First, decide whether to install from an
   <a class="link" href="glossary.html#glos_lts_series" title="LTS Series">
    LTS series
   </a>
   like MySQL
      8.4, or install from an
   <a class="link" href="glossary.html#glos_innovation_series" title="Innovation Series">
    Innovation series
   </a>
   like MySQL 9.1. Both tracks include bug
      fixes while innovation releases includes the latest new features
      and changes. For additional details, see
   <a class="xref" href="mysql-releases.html" title="1.3 MySQL Releases: Innovation and LTS">
    Section 1.3, “MySQL Releases: Innovation and LTS”
   </a>
   .
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  <p>
   The naming scheme in MySQL 8.4 uses release names
      that consist of three numbers and an optional suffix (for example,
   <span class="bold">
    <strong>
     mysql-8.4.0
    </strong>
   </span>
   ). The numbers within
      the release name are interpreted as follows:
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    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      The first number (
      <span class="bold">
       <strong>
        8
       </strong>
      </span>
      ) is the
          major version number.
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     <p>
      The second number (
      <span class="bold">
       <strong>
        4
       </strong>
      </span>
      ) is the
          minor version number. The minor version number does not change
          for an
      <a class="link" href="glossary.html#glos_lts_series" title="LTS Series">
       LTS series
      </a>
      , but
          it does change for an
      <a class="link" href="glossary.html#glos_innovation_series" title="Innovation Series">
       Innovation
          series
      </a>
      .
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      The third number (
      <span class="bold">
       <strong>
        0
       </strong>
      </span>
      ) is the
          version number within an LTS series. This is incremented for
          each new LTS release, but is likely always 0 for innovation
          releases.
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    </li>
   </ul>
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  <p>
   After choosing which MySQL version to install, decide which
      distribution format to install for your operating system. For most
      use cases, a binary distribution is the right choice. Binary
      distributions are available in native format for many platforms,
      such as RPM packages for Linux or DMG packages for macOS.
      Distributions are also available in more generic formats such as
      Zip archives or compressed
   <span class="command">
    <strong>
     tar
    </strong>
   </span>
   files. On
      Windows, you might use an MSI to install a binary distribution.
  </p>
  <p>
   Under some circumstances, it may be preferable to install MySQL
      from a source distribution:
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    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      You want to install MySQL at some explicit location. The
          standard binary distributions are ready to run at any
          installation location, but you might require even more
          flexibility to place MySQL components where you want.
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      You want to configure
      <a class="link" href="mysqld.html" title="6.3.1 mysqld — The MySQL Server">
       <span class="command">
        <strong>
         mysqld
        </strong>
       </span>
      </a>
      with features
          that might not be included in the standard binary
          distributions. Here is a list of the most common extra options
          used to ensure feature availability:
     </p>
     <div class="itemizedlist">
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       <li class="listitem">
        <p>
         <a class="link" href="source-configuration-options.html#option_cmake_with_libwrap">
          <code class="option">
           -DWITH_LIBWRAP=1
          </code>
         </a>
         for TCP
              wrappers support.
        </p>
       </li>
       <li class="listitem">
        <p>
         <a class="link" href="source-configuration-options.html#option_cmake_with_zlib">
          <code class="option">
           -DWITH_ZLIB={system|bundled}
          </code>
         </a>
         for features that depend on compression
        </p>
       </li>
       <li class="listitem">
        <p>
         <a class="link" href="source-configuration-options.html#option_cmake_with_debug">
          <code class="option">
           -DWITH_DEBUG=1
          </code>
         </a>
         for debugging
              support
        </p>
       </li>
      </ul>
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     <p>
      For additional information, see
      <a class="xref" href="source-configuration-options.html" title="2.8.7 MySQL Source-Configuration Options">
       Section 2.8.7, “MySQL Source-Configuration Options”
      </a>
      .
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      You want to configure
      <a class="link" href="mysqld.html" title="6.3.1 mysqld — The MySQL Server">
       <span class="command">
        <strong>
         mysqld
        </strong>
       </span>
      </a>
      without some
          features that are included in the standard binary
          distributions.
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      You want to read or modify the C and C++ code that makes up
          MySQL. For this purpose, obtain a source distribution.
     </p>
    </li>
    <li class="listitem">
     <p>
      Source distributions contain more tests and examples than
          binary distributions.
     </p>
    </li>
   </ul>
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