BSL
A software license designed by MariaDB that permits free use within a defined time window and requires payment for use beyond specified commercial limits. Upon expiration the license automatically converts to a conventional open-source license. The Open Source Initiative has not certified it as an open-source license.
Timeline (last 90 days)
The Open Source Initiative (OSI) does not recognize the BSL as a license that meets the Open Source Definition, and the BSL is regarded by the community as a source-available license rather than a truly open-source one.
After the four-year BSL license term expires, the code typically converts automatically to a more permissive open-source license.
HashiCorp switched the licenses of core products including Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Boundary from MPL to BSL.
Elastic License 2.0, BSL (Business Source License), and the early BigScience RAIL series of licenses all adopt a similar tiered licensing logic.
HashiCorp changed Terraform's license from MPL to BSL.
Licenses with additional commercial restrictions are legally referred to as source-available licenses or Business Source Licenses (BSL); once revenue restrictions or competitive restriction clauses are included, they no longer qualify as open source under OSI standards.
Biosafety levels (BSL) are divided into four levels from BSL-1 to BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest safety level for handling highly lethal pathogens.
The BSL biosafety level classification system consists of four levels from BSL-1 to BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest safety level, dedicated to handling highly lethal pathogens that can be transmitted via aerosol and for which no known vaccines or treatments exist.
The BSL system was jointly developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dividing laboratories into four levels from BSL-1 to BSL-4.
In 2023, HashiCorp changed Terraform from MPL to BSL, giving rise to the community protest project OpenTofu.
4 more timeline events
All Facts (14)
Well-known companies such as HashiCorp and Sentry have in recent years shifted to BSL or similar licenses.
60%UnverifiedThe Open Source Initiative (OSI) does not recognize the BSL as a license that meets the Open Source Definition, and the BSL is regarded by the community as a source-available license rather than a truly open-source one.
50%UnverifiedAfter the four-year BSL license term expires, the code typically converts automatically to a more permissive open-source license.
50%UnverifiedHashiCorp switched the licenses of core products including Terraform, Vault, Consul, and Boundary from MPL to BSL.
50%UnverifiedElastic License 2.0, BSL (Business Source License), and the early BigScience RAIL series of licenses all adopt a similar tiered licensing logic.
50%UnverifiedLicenses with additional commercial restrictions are legally referred to as source-available licenses or Business Source Licenses (BSL); once revenue restrictions or competitive restriction clauses are included, they no longer qualify as open source under OSI standards.
50%UnverifiedBiosafety levels (BSL) are divided into four levels from BSL-1 to BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest safety level for handling highly lethal pathogens.
50%UnverifiedThe BSL biosafety level classification system consists of four levels from BSL-1 to BSL-4, with BSL-4 being the highest safety level, dedicated to handling highly lethal pathogens that can be transmitted via aerosol and for which no known vaccines or treatments exist.
50%UnverifiedThe BSL system was jointly developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dividing laboratories into four levels from BSL-1 to BSL-4.
50%UnverifiedBSL (Business Source License) was pioneered by MariaDB and allows code to automatically convert to an open-source license after a certain period (typically 3–4 years), but restricts competitive commercial use prior to that point.
50%UnverifiedFor personal open-source projects, choosing a traditional OSI-certified license is safer than opting for newer licenses such as SSPL or BSL.
50%UnverifiedBSL由MariaDB公司设计，允许代码在非生产环境自由使用，但商业生产使用需要付费许可，且代码会在指定时间后（通常4年）自动转为完全开源许可
50%UnverifiedHashiCorp changed Terraform's license from MPL to BSL.
50%UnverifiedIn 2023, HashiCorp changed Terraform from MPL to BSL, giving rise to the community protest project OpenTofu.
50%