Difficulty: Advanced
Description
These domains run an engine version that is in Extended Support, or will be within a year. Extended Support adds a charge to every instance-hour; upgrading to a supported version avoids it.
Selection Criteria
The OpenSearch domain is currently using a version under Extended Support.
OR the OpenSearch domain is using a version that will enter Extended Support within the next year.
Expected Saving
OpenSearch Extended Support costs $0.012/OCU/hour on top of standard domain costs. The exact amount depends on domain size and instance type. Upgrading to a supported version eliminates this surcharge entirely.
Operational Impact
Downtime: OpenSearch version upgrades are applied via a blue/green deployment. The domain remains available but performance may be reduced during the upgrade, which can take several hours depending on cluster size and shard count.
⚠️ Warning — Breaking changes: Major version upgrades (e.g., OpenSearch 1.x → 2.x) may introduce query syntax or API compatibility changes. Validate application behavior against the new version before upgrading production.
⚠️ Warning — Upgrade path: Some versions require intermediate upgrades before reaching the latest supported version. Verify the full supported upgrade path before proceeding.
⚠️ Warning — Blue/green deployment: Other cluster configuration changes are blocked during the upgrade process until it completes.