Software:Server Side Public License

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Short description: Copyleft license developed by MongoDB Inc.
Server Side Public License
AuthorMongoDB Inc.
Published16 October 2018
DFSG compatibleNo
FSF approvedNo
OSI approvedNo
GPL compatibleNo[1]
CopyleftExtreme copyleft
Websitewww.mongodb.com/licensing/server-side-public-license

The Server Side Public License (SSPL) is a source-available software license introduced by MongoDB Inc. in 2018.[2][3]

It includes most of the text and provisions of the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPL v3),[4] but modifies its provisions for software that is conveyed over a network—requiring that anyone who offers the functionality of SSPL-licensed software to third-parties as a service must release the entirety of their source code, including all software, APIs, and other software that would be required for a user to run an instance of the service themselves, under the SSPL. In contrast, the AGPL v3's equivalent provision covers only the licensed work itself.

The SSPL is not recognized as free software by multiple parties, including the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and multiple major Linux vendors, as the aforementioned provision is discriminatory towards specific fields of use.[3][5]

License terms

The SSPL is based on the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL), with a modified Section 13 that requires that those making SSPL-licensed software available to third-parties (modified or not) as part of a "service" must release the source code for the entirety of the service, including without limitation all "management software, user interfaces, application program interfaces, automation software, monitoring software, backup software, storage software and hosting software, all such that a user could run an instance of the service using the Service Source Code you make available", under the SSPL.[4] The chapter structure of the Server Side Public License is identical to that to the AGPL, except that the GPL preamble and application instructions are stripped from the license text.[4]

MongoDB Inc. stated that Section 13 in the AGPL (which requires that those using the AGPL-licensed software over a network have the ability to obtain the source code for the software, as used) had an unclear scope, and that the SSPL's version "clearly and explicitly sets forth the conditions to offering the licensed program as a third-party service".[3][6][7]

Licensed software

In October 2018, the MongoDB database was relicensed under the SSPL. Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Fedora subsequently dropped MongoDB, citing concerns about the SSPL. Amazon released a partially compatible but proprietary service named DocumentDB.[8][9]

In November 2020, Graylog announced that version 4.0 of its source-available release will be licensed under the SSPL.[10]

In January 2021, Elastic NV announced that future versions of their code in Elasticsearch and Kibana, licensed until then under the open-source Apache License 2.0, would be dual-licensed instead under SSPL and their own Elastic license.[11] Critics of the re-licensing decision predicted that it would harm Elastic's ecosystem, and Amazon responded with plans to fork the projects for continued development of versions licensed under the Apache License.[12] Other users of the Elasticsearch ecosystem, led by Amazon Web Services, and including Logz.io, CrateDB, Red Hat and Aiven, also collaborated on the open source fork, leading to the creation of the OpenSearch software.[13][14][15][16]

Certification with OSI

In 2018, MongoDB submitted the license to the Open Source Initiative (OSI) for approval. The company withdrew its submission in 2019.[17][18] In January 2021, following the re-licensing move by Elastic, OSI released a statement declaring that the SSPL does not comply with its Open Source Definition because it discriminates against specific fields of endeavor, describing it as a "fauxpen" source license.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Section 13 of the licence: "If you make the functionality of the Program or a modified version available to third parties as a service, you must make the Service Source Code available via network download to everyone at no charge, under the terms of this License. Making the functionality of the Program or modified version available to third parties as a service includes, without limitation, enabling third parties to interact with the functionality of the Program or modified version remotely through a computer network, offering a service the value of which entirely or primarily derives from the value of the Program or modified version, or offering a service that accomplishes for users the primary purpose of the Program or modified version."
  2. ↑ "Server Side Public License (SSPL)" (in en-us). https://www.mongodb.com/licensing/server-side-public-license. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Server Side Public License FAQ" (in en-us). https://www.mongodb.com/licensing/server-side-public-license/faq. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ward, Sarah. "SSPL compare to AGPL". https://webassets.mongodb.com/_com_assets/legal/SSPL-compared-to-AGPL.pdf. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "The SSPL is Not an Open Source License". Open Source Initiative. 19 January 2021. https://blog.opensource.org/the-sspl-is-not-an-open-source-license/. 
  6. ↑ Baer, Tony. "It's MongoDB's turn to change its open source license" (in en). ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/its-mongodbs-turn-to-change-its-open-source-license/. 
  7. ↑ "MongoDB switches up its open source license" (in en-US). TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/16/mongodb-switches-up-its-open-source-license/. 
  8. ↑ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J.. "MongoDB "open-source" Server Side Public License rejected" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/mongodb-open-source-server-side-public-license-rejected/. 
  9. ↑ "#915537 - MongoDB SSPL v1 license and the DFSG - Debian Bug report logs". https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=915537#15. 
  10. ↑ "Graylog v4.0 Licensing SSPL | Graylog". https://www.graylog.org/post/graylog-v4-0-licensing-sspl. 
  11. ↑ "Doubling down on open, Part II" (in en-us). 2021-01-14. https://www.elastic.co/blog/licensing-change. 
  12. ↑ "'It's not OK': Elastic takes aim at AWS, at the risk of major collateral damage" (in en). 2021-01-21. https://www.protocol.com/enterprise/about/aws-targeted-by-elastic. 
  13. ↑ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven J.. "AWS, as predicted, is forking Elasticsearch" (in en). https://www.zdnet.com/article/aws-as-predicted-is-forking-elasticsearch/. 
  14. ↑ "CrateDB Doubling Down on Permissive Licensing and the Elasticsearch Lockdown" (in en-US). 2021-01-27. https://crate.io/a/cratedb-doubling-down-on-permissive-licensing-and-the-elasticsearch-lockdown/. 
  15. ↑ "Momentum Builds to Break Elasticsearch Licensing Deadlock". 2021-01-25. https://www.datanami.com/2021/01/25/momentum-builds-to-break-elasticsearch-licensing-deadlock/. 
  16. ↑ Vaughan-Nichols, Steven (April 13, 2021). "OpenSearch: AWS rolls out its open source Elasticsearch fork" (in en). https://www.techrepublic.com/article/opensearch-aws-rolls-out-its-open-source-elasticsearch-fork/. 
  17. ↑ Horowitz, Eliot. "[Email thread reply Approval: Server Side Public License, Version 2 (SSPL v2)"]. http://lists.opensource.org/pipermail/license-review_lists.opensource.org/2019-March/003989.html. 
  18. ↑ Gall, Richard (2019-03-12). "MongoDB withdraws controversial Server Side Public License from the Open Source Initiative's approval process" (in en-US). https://hub.packtpub.com/mongodb-withdraws-controversial-server-side-public-license-from-the-open-source-initiatives-approval-process/. 

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