What is AGPL software?

The GNU Affero General Public License is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software.

What is the difference between AGPL and GPL?

The difference between the AGPL and traditional GPL is simple: The AGPL seeks to close a “loophole” that allows a company or organization to modify GPL’ed software and use it to provide a service — but without actually distributing changes.

Is AGPL free for commercial use?

iText is available under the open source AGPL license, as well as a commercial license. If you purchase a commercial license, you can keep your source code to yourself allowing you to retain your IP. If you use the AGPL version, you need to release your source code free of charge.

Can SaaS use GPL?

SaaS companies are more free to use GPL licensed-code because the obligations of the GPL are triggered upon software distribution and SaaS software by nature is not distributed. (This is often referred to as the GPL “SaaS loophole.”) However, SaaS companies still need to be concerned about software licensing.

What does SaaS mean in the AGPL license?

In the AGPL license, SaaS is considered distribution and requires you to provide your users access to your source code. Thanks for contributing an answer to Software Engineering Stack Exchange! Please be sure to answer the question.

What do you need to know about the AGPL license?

AGPL is a fairly new license that was meant to go GPL-over-networks. However, not being a lawyer, and actually not having read the whole license, I can’t understand what exactly you can do freely and what not with AGPL. My uncertainty is fed by this post about MongoDB (which is AGPL) and even more by the comments below.

Is the AGPL the same as the GPL?

But AGPL adoption continues to grow among several SaaS providers, and DBaaS providers are among the most popular adopters. The point, that most people miss, is that, the AGPL is just a super-set of the GPL, which terms distribution to also be network distribution, and nothing more!

Can you use AGPL libraries with closed source software?

If we follow the comments it turns out that you can use AGPL libraries with your closed-source, commercial server-side software, as long as you don’t modify the library. Is that the case? Or you have to distribute your entire application when you use an AGPL licensed library?