Why Redis Is Switching Licenses and What It Means for Cloud Providers

Redis CEO Rowan Trollope announced that future Redis versions will be released under a dual‑license model, abandoning the BSD license in favor of the non‑OSI‑approved Redis Source Available License (RSALv2) and Server Side Public License (SSPLv1).

The source code will remain freely available through the Redis Community Edition, but cloud providers hosting Redis will no longer be allowed to use the code for free unless they agree to the new terms.

The two new licenses are:

SSPL – Server Side Public License

RSAL – Redis Source Available License

According to the new terms, cloud services must obtain permission from Redis to offer Redis 7.4, and many Linux distributions are already discussing removal of Redis from their repositories.

"We have been like a fool for years, watching others profit from what we built," said Ofer Bengal, CEO of Redis Labs.

Redis has previously changed licensing for some modules in 2018, a move that sparked debate similar to MongoDB’s adoption of the SSPL and Elasticsearch’s later switch.

Alternatives such as the BSD‑licensed fork KeyDB, Microsoft’s Garnet, or the Dragonfly project exist, and the community response includes projects like OpenTofu.

Redis acknowledges that it will no longer be considered an “open source” project under OSI definitions, but it remains committed to supporting open‑source initiatives.