switchup

authentik/root/db/base.py

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 """authentik database backend"""
 
-from django.core.checks import Error, Warning
+from django.core.checks import Warning
 from django.db.backends.base.validation import BaseDatabaseValidation
 from django_tenants.postgresql_backend.base import DatabaseWrapper as BaseDatabaseWrapper
 
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ class DatabaseValidation(BaseDatabaseValidation):
         return self._check_encoding()
 
     def _check_encoding(self):
-        """Fail when the server_encoding is not UTF8, and warn when
+        """Warn when the server_encoding is not UTF8, or when
         server_encoding and client_encoding are mismatched"""
         messages = []
         with self.connection.cursor() as cursor:
@@ -33,12 +33,13 @@ class DatabaseValidation(BaseDatabaseValidation):
                 )
             if server_encoding != "UTF8":
                 messages.append(
-                    Error(
-                        f"PostgreSQL Server encoding is not UTF8: {server_encoding}",
-                        hint="authentik requires a UTF8 database. Dump the database, "
-                        "re-create it with `ENCODING 'UTF8'` and restore the dump. "
-                        f"See {ENCODING_DOCS_URL}",
-                        id="ak.db.E001",
+                    Warning(
+                        f"PostgreSQL Server encoding is not UTF8: {server_encoding}. "
+                        "Support for other encodings is deprecated and will be removed "
+                        "in an upcoming version.",
+                        hint="Dump the database, re-create it with `ENCODING 'UTF8'` "
+                        f"and restore the dump. See {ENCODING_DOCS_URL}",
+                        id="ak.db.W002",
                     )
                 )
         return messages

website/docs/install-config/configuration/configuration.mdx

@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ To check if your config has been applied correctly, you can run the following co
 
 authentik requires PostgreSQL for application data, configuration, sessions, and background task coordination. authentik supports PostgreSQL 14 - 18.
 
-The database must use the `UTF8` encoding, which is PostgreSQL's default. Unless a different encoding was explicitly chosen when the database was created, no change is needed. Run `SHOW server_encoding;` to check; authentik refuses to start on any other encoding. Converting an existing database means dumping it, re-creating it with `ENCODING 'UTF8'`, and restoring the dump.
+The database should use the `UTF8` encoding, which is PostgreSQL's default. Unless a different encoding was explicitly chosen when the database was created, no change is needed. Run `SHOW server_encoding;` to check; authentik logs a warning on any other encoding, and support for them will be removed in an upcoming version. Converting an existing database means dumping it, re-creating it with `ENCODING 'UTF8'`, and restoring the dump.
 
 Use the settings in this section to configure:
 

website/docs/releases/2026/v2026.11.mdx

@@ -6,13 +6,7 @@ draft: true
 
 ## Highlights
 
-## Breaking changes
-
-### Databases that are not `UTF8` are now rejected
-
-authentik has required the PostgreSQL database to use the `UTF8` encoding [since 2025.8](../2025/v2025.8.mdx#database-encoding-requirements), and logged a warning on startup when it did not. That warning is now an error, so authentik no longer starts against a database with any other encoding.
-
-Run `SHOW server_encoding;` to check. Converting an existing database means dumping it, re-creating it with `ENCODING 'UTF8'`, and restoring the dump.
+<!-- ## Breaking changes -->
 
 ## New features and improvements
 
@@ -46,6 +40,14 @@ helm repo update
 helm upgrade authentik authentik/authentik -f values.yaml --version ^xxxx.x
 ```
 
+## Deprecations
+
+### Databases that are not `UTF8` are deprecated
+
+authentik has required the PostgreSQL database to use the `UTF8` encoding [since 2025.8](../2025/v2025.8.mdx#database-encoding-requirements). Support for other encodings is deprecated and will be removed in an upcoming version, at which point authentik will no longer start against such a database.
+
+Run `SHOW server_encoding;` to check. Converting an existing database means dumping it, re-creating it with `ENCODING 'UTF8'`, and restoring the dump.
+
 ## Minor changes/fixes
 
 <!-- _Insert the output of `make gen-changelog` here_ -->