Liquibase OSS 5.0 is coming in Q3 2025. It introduces a major packaging and distribution update.

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Today, we're happy to share a little more about the upcoming Liquibase 5.0 release. This release is a significant one because it allows us to give more access to the community to help advance the OSS version while doubling down on the advanced features and scalable adoption provided by Liquibase Pro. 

With over 100 million downloads, and 5,000 GitHub Stars since 2006, open source is in our DNA. We’ve been growing in every direction over the last year. In addition to growing our community, we continue to advance how we help organizations of all sizes implement automated database change management.

We’re using this opportunity to streamline the OSS solution that so many users are familiar with. This release marks a major step forward in how Liquibase supports developers across every stage, from open source collaboration to mission-critical delivery. The Liquibase OSS offering is now lighter and fully modular while Liquibase Pro now provides a streamlined, all-in-one experience built for scale, security, and speed. With this change, our OSS solution will truly be 100% OSS. No bits built from proprietary, unavailable code will be included in the OSS experience.

The Bottom Line: OSS is ideal for users who value flexibility, autonomy, and control, but it requires higher setup effort, technical investment, and tradeoffs in advanced features and support. Liquibase Pro builds on that foundation with an enterprise-ready, fully supported, and secure solution, allowing you to focus on innovation, not infrastructure.

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What’s changing?

We’re making a key change to the way we deliver our software—With Liquibase 5.0, we are introducing two intentionally distinct experiences. One is built for flexibility and community contribution. The other is designed for fully supported and scalable enterprise adoption, observability throughout the SDLC and deep support for the platforms that make up your data pipeline. Both experiences are evolving in a way that reinforces our commitment to open source while unlocking new capabilities for enterprise users.

Liquibase OSS is being refactored into a leaner, more modular toolkit. That means more flexibility in how you use it, but also more ownership. This may require some rethinking and additional configuration in exchange for having only what you need on your system. As a result of this change, you’ll have better control over how Liquibase fits into your workflows, but some things you may be used to out of the box will now require more wiring and customization.

With this update:

• OSS becomes a lightweight, modular, community-driven toolkit.
  
  • If you’ve built custom scripts or wrappers, this is a good moment to assess what might need to change. We’ll be publishing upgrade guides and documentation over the summer to help.
• Pro becomes a packaged, enterprise-grade solution designed for mission-critical delivery.
  
  • Liquibase Pro is designed for teams that want speed, standardization, and governance without having to build it all themselves. 

‍The new OSS experience & user responsibilities

Liquibase OSS 5.0

OSS is ideal for users who value flexibility, autonomy, and control, but it requires higher setup effort, technical investment, and tradeoffs in advanced features and support. Liquibase Pro builds on that foundation with an enterprise-ready, fully supported, and secure solution, allowing you to focus on innovation, not infrastructure.

What’s next?

If you’re using OSS: Your current OSS projects will continue to work, and you’ll get a faster, more modular core. However, starting with 5.0, you’ll manage your own drivers and extensions. If you need enterprise features like SLAs or built-in governance, you’ll want to consider Liquibase Pro. Try it free for 30 days.

If you’re a Pro customer: Schedule a strategy session with our Customer Success team to plan your transition. We will review the dedicated Pro distribution available through CLI, Docker, Maven, answer any questions you may have, and more. For additional information, visit the release notes in our documentation.

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Helpful resources to guide your transition

👀 Compare your options: Liquibase OSS vs. Pro, Liquibase Pro Overview

📆 Join the webinar: The Future of Liquibase – OSS and Pro, Refactored

⚙️ Try Pro free: Start a 30-day free trial

⚒️ Liquibase 4.32 release notes: Read the docs

🧑‍💻 Got questions? Contact us

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Liquibase 5.0 marks a major step forward, toward a clearer, more focused OSS experience, and a Pro experience purpose-built for enterprise needs.

Whether you’re building in a sandbox or deploying at scale, Liquibase is here to meet you where you are—and help you go further.

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FAQ

We know change brings questions, so we're giving you plenty of time to get ready for Liquibase 5.0, launching in Q3 2025. If you have questions about the update, we’ve added a few topics and answers below. Also, for more information, be sure to register for our webinar on May 29.

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Q: Is Liquibase removing capabilities and features from OSS?

A: No, we are not removing any OSS features, just cleaning up the core. By taking out Pro components and rarely used extensions, like Snowflake, we’re making OSS leaner and easier to maintain. All the essential functionality stays the same.

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Q: Is Liquibase destabilizing OSS?

A: No, we are not destabilizing OSS. It’s a core part of how we build Liquibase Pro. The OSS community works closely with our team to shape the future of the product, and that collaboration helps keep OSS stable, reliable, and valuable for everyone.

Based on feedback from users, we are confident that we are moving in the right direction but we know it is significant and we want to proceed with care so nobody is left behind. To give time for users to prepare, we will not be making any changes until Q3 2025.

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Q: Does this mean Liquibase Pro will diverge from Liquibase OSS?

A: No, Liquibase Pro is built on top of Liquibase OSS, so they will stay aligned. Changes made to OSS (once accepted and verified) will be included in future Pro releases, and we aim to keep both versions working together.

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Q: Will my existing projects using OSS still work after 5.0?

A: Most existing OSS projects—especially those that integrate with Maven, Gradle, Ant, or SpringBoot—will be unaffected and continue to work as expected. However, if you're using Liquibase OSS through the CLI, Docker container, or Packages (RPM, DEB, Homebrew, etc.), or you're not already managing your database driver separately, you may need to start doing so manually, via Liquibase Package Manager (LPM), or by upgrading to Liquibase Pro.

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Q: Why is this change necessary now?

A: Liquibase is currently shipped as a single distribution that tries to balance the needs of OSS and Pro users. However, those two groups of users have different and often contradictory needs so it is impossible to provide the best experience to both sets from a single artifact. Starting with 5.0 we will be shipping to distinct distributions -- a 'Liquibase OSS' distribution which slims down what we currently ship to the core Liquibase code and no longer guessing at extensions you may want and/or including Pro code you do not use, and a 'Liquibase Pro' distribution which bulks up what we currently ship to provide a turnkey and complete solution.

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Q: What if my org uses both OSS and Pro?

A: Liquibase OSS and Pro will be two distinct distributions — they are not designed to be used interchangeably on the same changesets or environments as it introduces risk and inconsistency. Customers are responsible for verifying compatibility when using both in parallel. To reduce risk and simplify your pipeline, we strongly recommend standardizing on one version per environment.

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Q: What if I want a more managed experience?

A: Liquibase Pro is designed for teams that want speed, standardization, and governance without having to build it all themselves. If you are managing multiple environments, working in a regulated industry, or just need auditability and policy enforcement out of the box, Pro might be worth a look.

This is not a sales pitch. Just context in case you are at that point of scale.

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Q: At a high level, what does Liquibase Pro deliver?

‍A: Liquibase Pro builds on our open-source foundation to deliver the automation, control, and support that enterprise teams need to manage database change at scale with speed, security, and confidence.

• Broadest database ecosystem support for modern and legacy systems
• Custom policy controls to align with your workflows and compliance needs
• Automated change management with enterprise-grade security baked in
• Operational insights to monitor, track, and continually improve your process
• Flexible architecture built to scale across teams, apps, and environments
• Expert support and services for when you need it most