Redis Switches to Dual Licensing: What It Means for Developers and Cloud Providers

Redis, the popular in‑memory database, announced that starting with version 7.4 it will be offered under a dual‑license scheme: the Redis Source Available License (RSALv2) and the Server Side Public License (SSPLv1). The company emphasized that the community edition will remain freely available, but the shift away from the permissive BSD‑3‑Clause license has drawn strong criticism.

This is not the first time Redis has altered its licensing. In 2018 it changed the terms for some modules, a move that echoed similar decisions by MongoDB and Elasticsearch, which also adopted SSPL and faced backlash from open‑source purists.

The new licensing is expected to affect Linux distributions, with discussions already appearing on the openSUSE and Fedora mailing lists about potentially removing Redis from their repositories.

Despite concerns, the impact may be limited because viable alternatives already exist. KeyDB continues to use a BSD license, Microsoft’s Garnet is a C#‑based option, and Dragonfly follows the Business Source License (BSL) used by HashiCorp.

Redis’s official statement frames the primary affected parties as cloud providers that host managed Redis services, which will need to agree to the new license terms before offering Redis 7.4. The FAQ reassures three groups that nothing changes for them: end users of the open‑source version, integration partners building client libraries, and commercial customers with negotiated agreements.

Many in the community disagree, noting that the change means Redis no longer qualifies as OSI‑approved open source and may lead to forks. Comparisons are drawn to Terraform’s split into OpenTF/OpenTofu after a licensing shift.

Comments suggest that the move could backfire, potentially harming Redis Labs while encouraging users, especially startups, to migrate to forked versions. Cloud providers could also fork Redis and release it under more permissive terms.

Overall, the consensus is that a forked Redis variant is likely to gain traction as the community seeks a truly open‑source alternative.

Not the First Change, Alternatives Are Ready

KeyDB (BSD‑licensed), Microsoft Garnet (C#), and Dragonfly (BSL) already provide viable paths for users concerned about the new licensing.

“Sanctioning” Cloud Vendors While Feeling Betrayed

Redis acknowledges that most of its commercial sales go through major cloud providers, and the new terms will restrict free use of the source code by those providers unless they accept the license.