At Percona, open source is not just something we use. It is who we are.
From our earliest days, our mission has been simple and consistent: make open source databases better for everyone. That mission guides our product decisions, our business model, and how we engage with the community.
Today, I want to share an important update about Percona ProBuilds, why we created them, and why we decided to wind them down.
ProBuilds Were an Experiment
Percona ProBuilds started as an experiment.
The idea was to explore whether we could offer customized binary packages designed specifically for enterprise environments, especially for organizations running large, mission-critical systems with strict operational or compliance requirements.
These packages were offered exclusively to customers with paid Percona support subscriptions, as part of the value we provide through our support and services. The goal was to simplify certain enterprise use cases through packaging, not to change the nature of the software itself.
What ProBuilds Were and Were Not
It is important to clearly explain what ProBuilds represented.
ProBuilds did not introduce proprietary features or closed-source code. Every feature included in ProBuilds was always available in Percona’s open source repositories. The source code remained open, auditable, and accessible to everyone.
What was gated was the customized packaging, not the software or its capabilities. The same features could always be built from the open source code. ProBuilds simply delivered those features in a pre-packaged form tailored for certain enterprise scenarios.
Why We Decided to End the Experiment
As the experiment matured, we took a step back and asked ourselves a fundamental question.
Even if the code was open, did limiting customized packages to subscribers align with Percona’s open source values?
Our answer was no.
While well-intentioned, ProBuilds represented a drift away from the spirit that has defined Percona for nearly two decades. We believe open source works best when the full experience, including how software is packaged and distributed, is available to the entire community.
Because of that, we decided to end the ProBuilds experiment and return fully to a single, open distribution model.
What Changes Going Forward
All features that were previously packaged in ProBuilds are now included in Percona’s public packages, available to everyone.
There is no longer a separate ProBuild track. No gated binaries. No special packages limited to a subset of users.
This change applies to the following Percona software:
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Percona Server for MySQL (PS)
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Percona XtraDB Cluster (PXC)
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Percona XtraBackup (PXB)
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Percona Server for MongoDB (PSMDB)
Percona Distribution for PostgreSQL never had ProBuilds and is not affected by this change.
Feature Transition Overview
Below is a summary of the features that have moved from ProBuilds into the standard public packages.
| Product | Feature | Release Version |
| Percona Server for MongoDB (PSMDB) | OpenID Connect support, File Copy–Based Initial Sync, Binaries with Debug Symbols, FIPS 140-3 Validated Encryption Module | 8.0.16-5, 7.0.26-14 |
| Percona Server for MySQL (PS) | FIPS 140-3 Validated Encryption Module, Amazon Linux 2023 packages | 8.4.7-7, 8.0.44-35 |
| Percona XtraDB Cluster (PXC) | FIPS 140-3 Validated Encryption Module, Amazon Linux 2023 packages | 8.4.7-7, 8.0.44-35 |
| Percona XtraBackup (PXB) | Reduced Backup Lock Time and Amazon Linux 2023 packages | 8.4.0-5 |
See the release notes for each product for additional information.
Staying True to Our Values
Percona exists to serve the open source database community. Our customers, users, contributors, and partners rely on us to act as responsible open source stewards.
Winding down ProBuilds is about reaffirming that responsibility.
We remain fully committed to open development, transparent distribution, and enterprise-grade support built on truly open software.
Thank you to our community and customers for continuing to hold us to a high standard and for building with us.
If you have questions about this change or need help transitioning, the Percona team is always here to help.
About the Author
Blair RamplingProduct Executive with 15+ years of experience leading high-impact SaaS and developer-facing products. Proven success building and scaling product teams from seed-stage to enterprise. Deep expertise in open source platforms, cloud-native technologies, and developer ecosystems.
