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dotCMS Business Source License (BSL)
What is the Business Source License?
The Business Source License or BSL is a variation of open licensing that was developed by MariaDB (and the team who wrote MySQL) that was intended to balance the benefits of open and free software with the fact that most open-source software needs an ongoing commercial entity behind it to thrive and be maintained.
The BSL 1.1 allows users to copy, modify, create derivative works, and redistribute the software with restrictions on production use (“Additional Use Grants”). After a specified "Change Date," the software becomes open source under GPL v3.
Who can use dotCMS for free?
Small businesses with "Total Finances" under USD 5,000,000.
Small agencies building projects for small customers.
Large enterprises using dotCMS for non-production purposes.
Individual developers working on personal or hobby projects.
Why is dotCMS changing its licensing?
After much thought, we have chosen to move to the BSL because we believe it best balances the needs of our dotCMS community - users and partners alike - while also supporting the financial sustainability required to build and maintain the software. As a matter of fact, the BSL is actually more open than our previous Community/EE licensing in that it grants more users more rights than were available before. The BSL is highly permissive and allows copying, modification, redistribution, and production uses under a broad range of conditions while also maintaining and ensuring the commercial viability of the company behind the dotCMS software.
Are all the features available when I run dotCMS?
Yes, previously, dotCMS had the idea of a “Community” Edition which was somewhat limited, and an “Enterprise” Edition, which unlocked advanced features like Apps, Universal Visual Editor (UVE), Push Publishing, and clustering. With this change, all features that are baked into dotCMS are available for everyone to use. There is one caveat—a few features in dotCMS are “cloud-only” in that they rely on custom dotCMS cloud infrastructure to work—this includes A/B testing and Content Analytics. Enabling these features outside of dotCMS Cloud will still require a chat with our Sales team.
Who needs to purchase a commercial license?
Large enterprises using dotCMS in production.
Small agencies building or hosting projects for large enterprises.
How are "Total Finances" defined?
Total Finances include:
Aggregate gross revenues, entire budget, and/or funding (regardless of source).
If you are delivering dotCMS for another company, e.g. as an agency/service provider, Total Finances includes the finances of any client benefiting from the use of dotCMS.
What qualifies as "Production Use"?
“Production use" refers to utilizing dotCMS in a live, operational environment where it is actively performing a function for a business or organization, e.g. where the software is being used in a real-world setting to generate revenue or complete critical tasks. Production use includes any instance that delivers content, APIs, or services to an audience, whether public or private. Examples include:
An instance used to host corporate websites or content.
An instance delivering content or APIs to other systems, including other dotCMS instances, third-party applications, hosting providers, or CDNs.
An instance used for acceptance and approvals by multiple users.
An instance used internally by a company as an internal intranet or file store.
“Development” or non-production use includes:
Internal evaluations.
Local instances used for development.
Instances that are used for testing.
Can I use dotCMS to host my customers' websites for free?
You can as long as these two things are true:
Your company or agency's finances are under USD 5,000,000.
The customers whose sites you are hosting on dotCMS’ Total Finances are under USD 5,000,000. This is calculated individually, not in aggregate, e.g. you can host 100 customers on a dotCMS install whose finances are USD 1,000,000. If you host 99 sites for customers whose finances are $1M and 1 site for a customer whose finances are USD 8,000,000, then you will need commercial pricing for that installation.
When does dotCMS BSL transition to open source?
Each version of dotCMS released under BSL 1.1 will become open source (GPL v3) four years after its initial release.
What happens if I don’t comply with the license?
If your use of dotCMS does not meet the free-use criteria, you must:
Purchase a commercial license from dotCMS LLC or an authorized reseller, or
Stop using the software.
Where can I find more information or purchase a license?
For more details on commercial licensing, visit: https://www.dotcms.com/pricing.
Who else is using the BSL license?
There are a number of successful open source companies that are using the BSL or variations of similar licenses. These include RedHat, Docker, GitHub, Ubuntu, MariaDB, Redis and WordPress VIP to name a few.
Is dotCMS still open source, really?
The BSL license, while outside of the strict definition of Open Source as laid out by the Open Source Initiative, has been reviewed and endorsed by Bruce Perens, one of the co-founders of the Open Source Initiative. In changing to the BSL, dotCMS software can now be considered “Source Available” rather than strictly Open Source, with a contract that all the code will revert to Open Source GPL3 after 4 years have passed. As mentioned above, we believe that in moving dotCMS to the BSL, we have actually made dotCMS more open and available for use by a larger audience of users and companies.
Does the licensing change affect all versions?
No, the licensing change is not retroactive - it only applies to new versions released after February 14th, 2025. Here's what that means:
Older Versions Remain Unchanged:
Any version of dotCMS released before February 14th, 2025, including their patches or updates, will continue to be governed by the original dotCMS Enterprise License terms.LTS (Long-Term Support) Versions:
LTS versions keep the licensing of their initial release. For example, if a patch for the 24.04 LTS version is released on March 14th, 2025, it will still use the license from the original 24.04 LTS release, not the new BSL licensing model.
In summary, only new releases after February 14th, 2025 will adopt the new licensing, while existing and LTS versions remain under their original terms.
How will dotCMS enforce the terms of the BSL?
As an open-source software tool, dotCMS has always relied on global intellectual property laws to enforce license compliance. In moving to the BSL, we are moving towards what is, in effect, a licensing “honor system” where there is an additional responsibility on our users and customers to self-report uses that require commercial licensing. To that end, dotCMS reserves the right to monitor usages of dotCMS that can include analytics, pingbacks and the use of 3rd-party software tools to scan the internet for potential violations. In the case of non-compliance, dotCMS will pursue legal action against violators, especially if significant or intentional violations are suspected.
How does this licensing affect my plugins and code in dotCMS?
The dotCMS BSL license applies only to the dotCMS source code and any modifications to it, such as changes, fixes, patches, or extensions to that code. Your own implementation code is not covered by the dotCMS BSL license. This means that any custom code you create, such as plugins, scripts, workflows, templates, images, or documents, remains your intellectual property, and you can license it however you wish.
What happens if I've forked dotCMS and made custom changes for my own use, especially once the underlying code reverts to GPL v3?
Your Custom Fork Remains Under Your Control:
If you’ve forked dotCMS and added your own modifications for internal or personal use, those custom changes remain your intellectual property. You can continue to use your fork as you normally would.
License Transition Applies to dotCMS’s Core Code:
The licensing change means that the dotCMS core (the “Licensed Work”) will automatically become available under GPL v3 on the specified Change Date (or four years after its initial release under BSL 1.1). Any version of dotCMS that you forked will be subject to GPL v3 once that version reaches its Change Date.
Impact on Distribution:
If you decide to distribute your forked version (including your custom modifications) after the core code has reverted to GPL v3, you will need to comply with all GPL v3 obligations. This means ensuring that the distributed work—including the underlying dotCMS core along with your custom changes—is licensed in compliance with GPL v3 and the source code of all your changes is made available publicly.
Maintaining Compliance:
It’s important to review the licensing terms for each version of dotCMS you are using. If your fork is based on a version that has already transitioned to GPL v3, any distribution or sharing of your fork must adhere to GPL v3. If it’s still under BSL 1.1, then the original BSL terms (including any additional use grants) remain in effect until the Change Date for that version.
Can I contribute code changes, fixes and improvements back to dotCMS?
Yes, please! We accept help/contributions of all kinds, including bug fixes, new features, tests, internationalization (i18n) improvements, or even just reporting issues in our GitHub repository. There are a few caveats with contributing code; the biggest one is that before we can merge 3rd-party code, we require the contribution to be licensed under an MIT license or that contributors sign and follow our Contributors’ License Agreement which grants dotCMS intellectual property (IP) rights over the code changes. This is because when dotCMS merges contributed code, we are also taking on the responsibility of owning and maintaining that code future-forward.
Ready to jump in?
Visit the link to start your dotCMS BSL download now.