▲ 2 points

Ask HN: AGPL software for services - licensing questions

by mark_l_watson·17y ago·2 comments·view on hn ↗

I have been licensing some of my stuff for years using GPL/LGPL, but find myself not understanding the licensing issues of building services using AGPL projects like MongoDB or Neo4J.

I thought that if AGPLed software is used in a system, even as a separate service, then the entire system needed to be released under a compatible license.

How, for example, is a proprietary Rails app that uses a MongoDB service affected, license wise?

If I build a service using Neo4J, is it sufficient to release the code for the service under the AGPL, or do other systems that use this service also need to be released under the AGPL?

I am a huge fan of MongoDB (always keep it running, like PostgreSQL, on my laptop), and I have a few ideas for useful web services that might use Neo4J (instead of, for example, Sesame) - so, I am asking these questions for practical, not academic interest.

IANAL, but, if I read the AGPL correctly, you are not required to AGPL your application unless it is derived from MongoDB.

Make sure the drivers you use to connect to the database are compatible with whatever license you are using, or roll out your own.

And, if you are serious about using it, ask a lawyer to review the license and both of you help each other figure out how it relates to your product.

Thanks rbanffy - that is my read of the AGPL also. I suppose that if there were a problem, then MongoDB would not be as popular :-)