YugaByte Commits Its Distributed SQL Database to Open Source
YugaByte Distributed SQL DB is available under Apache 2.0 license.
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YugaByte, a leader in open source distributed SQL databases, announced today that YugaByte DB is now 100 percent open source under the Apache 2.0 license, bringing previously commercial features into the open source core. The move, in addition to other updates available now through YugaByte DB 1.3, allows users to more openly collaborate across what is now a powerful open source distributed SQL database.
The transition effectively breaks the boundaries between YugaByte’s Community and Enterprise Editions by bringing previously commercial-only, closed-source features such as distributed backups, data encryption, and read replicas into the open source core project distributed under the permissive Apache 2.0 license. Starting immediately, there is only one edition of YugaByte DB for developers to build their business-critical, cloud-native applications.
“Using proprietary, non-compete licenses for database features to ward off cloud providers from offering a commercial version as-a-service is short-sighted and damaging to the foundational principles of open source software. Vendors like MongoDB and Cockroach Labs who have moved to such licenses -- not just for add-on features, but for their core database -- have disowned the same developers whose initial trust lifted their previously open source project off the ground,” said Kannan Muthukkaruppan, co-founder and CEO of YugaByte. “Being 100 percent open source means being committed to preserving freedom of vendor choice while fostering more open collaboration among the developers leveraging distributed SQL and the committers behind the distributed SQL project.”
Enterprise users can continue to manage a fleet of YugaByte DB clusters across multiple environments and across multiple cloud platforms by leveraging YugaByte Platform, YugaByte’s rebranded commercial offering with self-managed database-as-a-service (DBaaS) capabilities. The source code for YugaByte Platform is now available in the same GitHub repository as YugaByte DB under a new, free, trial-only, source available license developed by the Polyform Project, led by open source licensing lawyer Heather Meeker. With this change, YugaByte is adopting a license from the Polyform Project.
The default build target in the GitHub repository generates only the open source software binary to ensure that users who are not interested in the commercial DBaaS features can continue to have a frictionless experience. For users interested in collaborating with the committers on the commercial features, this change allows a more open forum to work together, including discussing issues, offering design feedback, and submitting their own fixes upstream.
About YugaByte
YugaByte is the company behind YugaByte DB, the open source, high-performance distributed SQL database for building global, internet-scale applications. YugaByte DB serves the business-critical database needs of applications with SQL query flexibility, high performance, and cloud-native agility, allowing enterprises to focus on business growth rather than complex data infrastructure management. It is trusted by companies in cybersecurity, financial markets, IoT, retail, and e-commerce verticals. Founded in 2016 by former Facebook and Oracle engineers, YugaByte is backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Dell Technologies Capital.