BSL license
A software license that makes source code publicly available but restricts production use until a specified date, after which it converts to an Open Source license.
What it is
The Business Source License (BSL) balances corporate sustainability with open-source eventualities. Code is publicly readable and free for non-production testing, but production environments require a commercial license. Crucially, the license mandates a "Change Date" (max four years), after which the code automatically transitions to a standard Open Source license (like GPL), guaranteeing users are never permanently vendor-locked.
When you would use it
You encounter BSL when evaluating open-source-adjacent infrastructure tools and must determine if your specific "production use" requires a paid commercial license.
Common operations
- Protecting enterprise infrastructure software (like Terraform) from being resold by cloud providers.
- Allowing community testing of proprietary code.
Related terms
Where this is taught
No learning path uses this term yet. Browse the Learning Atlas for guided sequences through related ideas.