// Apache Hive extended support
Hive 3 is end of life.
Your queries, HiveServer2 HA and ZooKeeper locks still run on it.
The Hive project declared the 2.x line end of life on 20 May 2024 and the 3.x line on 8 October 2024. The last releases were 2.3.10 and 3.1.3, and both bundle ZooKeeper 3.4.6. HiveServer2 service discovery and active/passive HA register in ZooKeeper, and so do table locks when the ZooKeeper lock manager is in use. OSSeva ships patched, signed Hive 2.x and 3.x builds today and patches the ensemble underneath.
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Why Hive 2 and 3 are still in production
Hive sits under reports, pipelines and BI tools that nobody wants to retest at once.
Hive 4 is a major release
Hive 4 is a new major version, and the move usually rides on a Hadoop platform upgrade. Every query, UDF and client connection needs retesting before the switch.
HiveServer2 HA runs through ZooKeeper
Each HiveServer2 instance registers in ZooKeeper, and JDBC clients find a live server through that namespace. Active/passive HA uses the same service discovery. If the ensemble is unpatched, so is the entry point to your warehouse.
Locks can live in ZooKeeper too
With concurrency enabled and ACID transactions off, table and partition locks go through ZooKeeperHiveLockManager, the default lock manager. The ZooKeeper 3.4.6 bundled with Hive 2.3.10 and 3.1.3 never received a fix for CVE-2023-44981.
The dates that matter
2020-06-01
ZooKeeper 3.4 end of life. Hive 2.3 and 3.1 bundle 3.4.6.
2022-04-08
Hive 3.1.3 released, the last 3.x release.
2024-03-29
Hive 4.0.0 released.
2024-05-09
Hive 2.3.10 released, the last 2.x release.
2024-05-20
Hive 2.x end of life.
2024-10-08
Hive 3.x end of life.
2026-08-24
Hive 4.2.1 released with ZooKeeper 3.8.4.
What OSSeva delivers
Patched Hive 2.x and 3.x builds
Backported security fixes for HiveServer2, the metastore and the Hive client on the line you run, delivered as signed tarballs, Maven artifacts and container images.
The ZooKeeper behind HiveServer2
Patched ZooKeeper 3.4 to 3.7 builds for the ensemble that holds service discovery, HA leadership and ZooKeeper locks, with configuration unchanged and VEX statements for scanner findings.
Upgrade to Hive 4
Query and UDF testing, the metastore schema upgrade, a lock manager review and a cut-over plan for HiveServer2 clients.
Your options, compared
| Option | What you get | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade to Hive 4 now | A community-maintained Hive with a ZooKeeper 3.8 client | Every query and UDF needs retesting, and the Hadoop underneath often moves too. |
| Move to a commercial distribution | Vendor-supported Hive | A platform migration and a new subscription. |
| Replace Hive | A different SQL engine over the same data | A rewrite of queries, permissions and tooling. |
| OSSeva extended support | Patched Hive and ZooKeeper today, and the Hive 4 upgrade | A subscription while Hive 2 or 3 stays in production. |
End-of-life and release dates from the Apache Hive downloads page and the Hive JIRA. ZooKeeper usage from HiveConf.java at release 4.2.1 and the Hive wiki. Bundled ZooKeeper versions from pom.xml at each release tag.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hive 3 end of life?
Yes. The Hive project declared the 3.x line end of life on 8 October 2024. The last release was 3.1.3, in April 2022. Hive 2.x reached end of life on 20 May 2024.
Does Hive use ZooKeeper?
For HiveServer2 service discovery and active/passive HA, yes. It is also used for table locks when concurrency is on and ACID transactions are off, and for the delegation-token store and the LLAP registry. With DbTxnManager, locks live in the metastore.
Which ZooKeeper version does Hive 3 bundle?
Hive 3.1.3 bundles ZooKeeper 3.4.6, and so does Hive 2.3.10. Hive 4.2.1 bundles 3.8.4.
Do we have to move to Hive 4 to get patches?
No. Patched Hive 2.x and 3.x builds ship now, so the upgrade can follow your platform plan.
Which support tier fits a Hive estate?
Patch covers signed builds with backported fixes. Assure adds an ensemble audit and an attestation package for auditors. Operate adds 24/7 monitoring and named engineers.
Keep Hive patched until Hive 4 is ready.
Start with Patch today. Add Assure or Operate when the estate needs them.