The in-memory database provider Redis has announced that it will finally say goodbye to the BSD license (Berkeley Software Distribution) and switch to the dual license model already known from Redis Stack for all products. Starting with Redis 7.4, developers should be able to choose between the Redis Source Available License Version 2 (RSALv2) and the Server-Side Public License Version 1 (SSPLv1) as required. Based on the Redis Community Edition, the source code remains freely available to developers, customers and partners of the company. Cloud service providers and other providers who want to use Redis as part of commercial offers must make individual agreements with the provider.
Advertisement
Redis wants to ensure open source and financial stability
According to the announcement by Redis CEO Rowan Trollope, the source code from Redis Core will be merged with that from Redis Stack in future releases. This means the software can be used more flexibly in different contexts as a key/value and document storage, as a query engine or as a vector database for generative AI applications. In order to ensure the free availability of the software (including source code) in the community in the future, the switch to the new license model is necessary, emphasizes Trollope. This is the only way to ensure a long-term, solid economic basis for Redis.
Cloud providers that offer commercial services such as “Azure Cache for Redis” based on the Redis database do not receive free access to the source code, but must enter into a license agreement with Redis. However, users of such services and developers apparently do not have to fear any changes as a result of the Redis license change. In any case, Julia Liuson, President of the Developer Division at Microsoft, emphasizes in a separate blog post that the license changes have no impact on “Azure Cache for Redis”, “Azure Cache for Redis Enterprise” and Enterprise Flash.
The announcement in the Redis blog provides a detailed overview of the products affected by the license change. There is also an extensive FAQ list that provides answers to important questions, such as the details of the license models, who is affected by the changes or what types of managed services can still be implemented with Redis in the future.
Balancing act between open source and commerce
Redis has repeatedly attracted attention in recent years with changes to the licensing model. The gradual move away from the BSD license triggered discussions in the open source community as to whether the new license models still met the basic principles of source-free software – for example in the spirit of the Open Source Initiative (OSI). Licensing models like RSAL are essentially designed to be commercial, even if access to the source code remains fundamentally possible. In addition to Redis, other OSS providers – including database manufacturers such as MongoDB, CockroachDB or MariaDB – also practice the balancing act between open source and a financially viable licensing model.
(map)