Re: Do newer version servers upgrade files by default

[Phillip Ward]

"Danger, Will Robinson!"
Having your Development (and Testing) and Production environments different from one another is a Recipe for Disaster.

Quote

Will the MySQL 8.0 server alter/upgrade the database file when it imports it in such a way that I can no longer import it into MySQL 5.7?

Almost certainly, yes.
Even if the 8.0 database doesn't use any new functionality, if the format of the export file changes by just a single word, you could that ability to import that file into your older DBMS version.

I'd strongly advise you not to do this.
If you have to run both 5.7 and 8.0, invest in another machine. It will be cheaper in the long run (and far easier on your Sanity).

Regards, Phill W.