// guides/elasticache-redis-6-end-of-standard-support

ElastiCache Redis OSS 6 end of standard support: Jan 31, 2027

Amazon ElastiCache for Redis OSS 6 (6.0 and 6.2) reaches end of standard support on Jan 31, 2027. From Feb 1, 2027, caches still on it are automatically enrolled in Extended Support and charged an 80% premium on node price, rising to 160% in year 3.

Last checked against AWS documentation: Oct 27, 2026

Redis OSS 6 dates

Milestone	Date	Premium on node price
End of standard support	Jan 31, 2027	None
Extended Support year 1	Feb 1, 2027	80%
Extended Support year 2	Feb 1, 2028	80%
Extended Support year 3	Feb 1, 2029	160%
End of Extended Support and version EOL	Jan 31, 2030	n/a

Covers ElastiCache for Redis OSS 6.0 and 6.2. Redis OSS 4 and 5 already left standard support on Jan 31, 2026.

What happens on Feb 1, 2027

AWS says caches you haven't upgraded are automatically enrolled in Extended Support and charged from the first day of the month after standard support ends.
Extended Support covers critical and high CVE fixes, critical bug fixes, and support cases.
For Redis OSS 4 and 5, AWS says caches still running at the end of Extended Support will be automatically upgraded to the latest Valkey.

What it costs

For provisioned (node-based) clusters, AWS prices Extended Support at an 80% premium on the on-demand node price in years 1 and 2 and 160% in year 3. It also varies by Region.

AWS example: cache.m5.large, US East (Ohio)	Per node-hour
On-demand	$0.1560
Years 1–2 (+80%)	$0.2808
Year 3 (+160%)	$0.4056

Every node counts, including replicas. Our math at 730 hours/month for that example: about +$91/month per node in years 1–2.

Find Redis OSS 6 clusters

aws elasticache describe-replication-groups \
  --query "ReplicationGroups[].[ReplicationGroupId,Engine]" --output table

aws elasticache describe-cache-clusters \
  --query "CacheClusters[?starts_with(EngineVersion,'6.')].[CacheClusterId,ReplicationGroupId,EngineVersion]" \
  --output table

Run per Region. Paste versions into the checker.

Upgrade options

Valkey (AWS's suggested path): AWS calls Valkey a drop-in replacement for Redis OSS 7. The endpoint DNS name stays the same, though node IPs change. From 5.0.6 or later, AWS says downtime is minimal: reads stay up and writes pause only for a failover of a few seconds. Valkey nodes are also priced 20% lower than Redis OSS.
Redis OSS 7: stay on Redis OSS by modifying the cluster to version 7.0 or 7.1.
Upgrades don't happen on their own for node-based clusters; you start them by modifying the cluster or replication group.
If you use a custom parameter group, pass a matching Valkey parameter group with --cache-parameter-group-name.
Single-node cluster-mode-disabled caches must first be added to a replication group before moving to Valkey.

aws elasticache modify-replication-group \
  --replication-group-id my-group \
  --engine valkey \
  --engine-version 9.0

All versions: ElastiCache for Redis OSS end of support.

Sources

FAQ

When does ElastiCache Redis OSS 6 standard support end?

Jan 31, 2027. Extended Support pricing starts Feb 1, 2027 and Extended Support ends Jan 31, 2030, per the AWS ElastiCache Redis OSS end of life schedule.

How much is ElastiCache Extended Support?

For provisioned nodes, an 80% premium on the on-demand node price in years 1 and 2 and 160% in year 3, varying by Region.

Do I have to opt in to Extended Support?

No. AWS automatically enrolls caches that are not upgraded and starts charging the first day of the month after standard support ends.

What should I upgrade to?

Valkey, which AWS describes as a drop-in replacement for Redis OSS 7 and prices 20% lower on nodes, or Redis OSS 7.