Redis moves to source-available licenses

Beginning with Redis 7.4, all future variations of Redis software program shall be dual-licensed below the Redis Supply Out there License (RSAL 2) and the Server Facet Public License (SSLPv1), Redis introduced. The favored NoSQL database will not be distributed below the three-clause Berkeley Software program Distribution (BSD) license.

New source-available licenses will permit Redis the corporate to supply permissive use of its supply code, the corporate mentioned on March 20. Supply code will proceed to be freely accessible to builders, clients, and companions by Redis Group Version.

Future Redis source-available licenses will unify core Redis with Redis Stack, together with search, JSON, vector, probabilistic, and time-series information fashions in a single package deal as downloadable software program. This can permit Redis software program for use throughout quite a lot of contexts, together with key-value and doc retailer, a question engine, and a low-latency vector database powering generative AI purposes, the corporate mentioned.

Redis has confronted challenges, the corporate mentioned. Nearly all of industrial gross sales of Redis software program are channeled by the most important cloud service suppliers, who commoditize Redis’s investments and its open supply group. Regardless of efforts to assist a community-led governance mannequin and a want to keep up the BSD license, delivering a number of software program distributions concurrently is at odds with Redis’s capability to drive the know-how efficiently, the corporate mentioned.

Beneath the brand new licensing, cloud service suppliers internet hosting Redis merchandise will not be permitted to make use of Redis supply code freed from cost. However in observe, nothing modifications for the Redis developer group, who will nonetheless have permissive licensing below the twin license, Redis mentioned. All Redis shopper libraries will stay open-source licensed.

RSALv2 is a permissive non-copyleft license, permitting the fitting to “use, copy, distribute, make accessible, and put together spinoff works of the software program.” RSALv2 has solely two main limitations, the corporate mentioned: Beneath RSALv2, customers might not commercialize the software program or present it to others as a managed service; and customers might not take away or obscure any licensing, copyright, or different notices.