Razuna license model

Razuna is released under a dual license model. Designed to meet the requirements of different users and their needs for distribution and usage we offer Razuna under two flexible licenses. Whichever license model you choose, we are here to support you in your projects.

Razuna for open source projects

If you are developing and distributing Open Source applications under the GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL), or the GNU General Public License (GPL) then you are free to use Razuna under the GNU AGPL License, version 3. The formal terms of the AGPL can be found on the GNU website. Any software that uses code under a AGPL is itself subject to the same AGPL licensing terms.

AGPL is just like GPL, but more onerous. The GPL obligates you to distribute your own precious source code if you distribute binaries that use Razuna. The AGPL goes further, obligating you to make available to everyone your source code if you are using it on a network server for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or as an Application Service Provider (ASP). For example, if you are running Razuna on your server, to provide a SaaS services, you would have to give away all of your source code.

Under the AGPL, you must release the complete source code for the application that is built with Razuna, even if that application is running on a network server for SaaS purposes.

For licensing Razuna under alternate terms, so that you can use it without your own product becoming infected with the obligations of the AGPL, you should contact us to purchase a commercial license. We are also able to provide Razuna under the AGPLv3 license with a FLOSS exception.

When in doubt, keep this principle in mind: Unless you want to have all of the software you write be freely available to everyone, you should consider a commercial license. Further, if our software makes money for you, we would like to be paid too. Hence, our commercial license.

The Razuna Commercial, OEM, VAR, ISV license

If you do not license the source code under the GPL, but still like to include Razuna in your projects then we are able to provide you with a flexible commercial license.

The Commercial License is an agreement with Razuna for organizations that do not want to release their application source code. Commercially licensed customers get a commercially supported product with assurances from Razuna. Commercially licensed users are also free from the requirement of making their own application Open Source.

Here are some typical examples for a commercial distribution:

  • Selling software that includes Razuna to customers who install the software on their own machines
  • Selling software that requires customers to install Razuna on their own machines
  • Building a hardware system that includes Razuna and selling that hardware system to customers for installation at their own locations.

Specifically:

  • If you include Razuna with an application that is not licensed under the AGPL or GPL-compatible license, you need a commercial license for using Razuna.
  • If you develop and distribute a commercial application and as part of utilizing your application, the end-user must download a copy of Razuna; for each derivative work, you (or, in some cases, your end-user) need a commercial license for Razuna.

AGPL users have no direct legal relationship with Razuna. The commercial license, on the other hand, is private license by Razuna, and provides a direct legal relationship with Razuna.

Recommendations

  • To all commercial and government organizations, we recommend the commercial license. This frees you from the broad and strict requirements of the AGPL license.
  • To all free software enthusiasts we recommend the AGPL license.
  • To anyone in doubt, we recommend the commercial license.

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Frequently asked Questions about the Razuna license


What is the Razuna licensing model all about?

Razuna uses a "dual licensing" business model. Under this model, developers may choose to use Razuna under the free software/Open Source GNU Affero General Public License (commonly known as the "AGPL") or under a commercial license.

With the AGPL license, Razuna is available free of charge, under certain conditions. Developers may download Razuna for free and modify, integrate, and distribute it with their own GPL'ed or AGPL'ed products. However, AGPL users must abide by the rules of the AGPL, which stipulate that if a Razuna-based application is redistributed, the complete source code for this application must also be open and available for redistribution. Further, if you are only running your own software on a server for SaaS purposes, you still need the commercial license unless you publicly distribute all your source code.

Note that only Razuna itself is provided under the AGPL. Any accompanied libraries have their own license (which is compatible with the AGPL license). Even if the source code of those components is published for peer review, the copyright status of those components remains under their license.

Razuna offers a commercial license for organizations that do not want to make available to everyone the source code for their application. Commercial license customers get a commercially supported product with a level of assurance from Razuna, without the requirement that their Razuna-based software must be "Open Sourced". Razuna is able to provide a commercial license because it has full ownership of the Razuna code.

Razuna's dual licensing increases freedom in two ways: first, it encourages the growth of free software by licensing Razuna under the AGPL; second, it makes it possible to use our software in situations where the AGPL is not applicable.

What do you mean by Dual Licensing?

"Dual licensing" means that the same code is released under two different licenses. Razuna's dual licensing model is based on the principle of fair exchange. If you are using Razuna commercially - that is, for creating proprietary software for sale or use in a commercial setting - you must purchase a commercial license from Razuna. If our software makes money for you, we would like to be paid too. Alternatively, if you wish to write Open Source software you can use the Open Source version of Razuna, released under the AGPL. If you use the Open Source version you must release your application and complete source code under the AGPL as well. This model has proven successful for a number of leading companies such as MySQL, Alfresco, etc.

How do I know which license to use?

The overall guiding business principle of Razuna's dual licensing is one of fair exchange. If our software makes money for you, we would like to be paid too.

So if you use Razuna with AGPL-licensed software (or a license that is GPL-compatible) we encourage you to use the AGPL license. For all other users of Razuna, we recommend that you purchase a Razuna commercial license.