The general availability of Vitess 8 has been announced, marking significant improvements over previous versions with over 200 PRs addressing various areas. Major focus has been on compatibility with MySQL and frameworks, with notable support for PHP, WordPress, JavaScript, and other popular programming languages. The VStream API has also been enhanced to provide more information for integration with change data capture platforms. Additionally, usability enhancements have been made, and several small feature improvements and bug fixes have been incorporated, including the integration of popular open-source tools like VTorc and Online Schema Changes. While some incompatible changes are noted, users are encouraged to try out Vitess 8 and report any issues via GitHub.