Cloudgate's license in plain English
Cloudgate is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0. You may use it, self-host it and change it for free, for commercial work too. You may not sell it to others as a hosted service, or get around its license keys.
What can you do with Cloudgate?
The license grants a free, worldwide right to use, copy, share and change the software, subject to three limits.
You can
- Use Cloudgate, for free, as a person or a business.
- Self-host it on your own servers, on as many as you like.
- Use it commercially, to run the apps your business sells.
- Read the source on GitHub and modify it.
- Share copies, with the license terms included.
You can't
- Offer Cloudgate to third parties as a hosted or managed service that gives them a substantial set of its features.
- Move, change, disable or get around the license-key checks, or remove the features they protect.
- Remove or hide the license, copyright or other notices.
Paid features such as SSO, SCIM, custom roles, forward auth, white-labelling, parallel builds and more than one Organization come with an Enterprise license.
Is my use allowed?
The common cases, answered. The license text is the authority; this summary is not.
- Yes
Self-host Cloudgate to deploy your own or your company’s apps
Free, on as many servers as you like.
- Yes
Use it at work, in a business that makes money
Commercial use is allowed. What you sell is your product, not Cloudgate.
- Yes
Read and change the code for your own use
Mark modified copies with a notice that you changed them.
- Yes
Share a copy with someone else
They must get the license terms with it, and the notices must stay.
- No
Sell Cloudgate to others as a hosted or managed deployment service
The one use the license rules out.
- No
Remove or work around the license-key checks to unlock paid features
Buy an Enterprise license instead.
- Ask us
Something in between, such as an agency giving clients console access
Write to us before you build on it.
What else is in the license?
It is short. Three more parts are worth knowing.
- Patents
- You get a license to any patents the licensor can license that the software uses. It ends if you or your company claim in writing that the software infringes a patent.
- Termination
- Using it against the terms ends your license. Stop within 30 days of a notice and it is reinstated; a later violation ends it for good.
- No warranty
- As far as the law allows, the software comes as is, with no warranty and no liability.
License questions people ask
Is Cloudgate open source?
No. Cloudgate is source-available under the Elastic License 2.0 (ELv2). You can use, self-host and modify it for free, but the license limits offering it to others as a hosted service, so it is not an open-source license as the Open Source Initiative defines one.
Can I use Cloudgate for free in my company?
Yes. Any person or business may use and self-host Cloudgate for free, including for commercial work. The free version holds one Organization and runs one build at a time per Server; an Enterprise license adds the rest.
Can I offer Cloudgate as a service to my customers?
Not as a hosted or managed service that gives them a substantial set of Cloudgate’s features. Deploying your own product with Cloudgate is fine. If you are unsure where your case falls, ask us.
Can I modify Cloudgate?
Yes. You may change it and use your changed copy. If you pass a modified copy on, it must say prominently that you modified it, and the license and copyright notices must stay in place.
Can I contribute to Cloudgate?
Yes. Bug reports, feature ideas and pull requests are welcome on GitHub. On your first pull request you agree once to the contribution terms in CONTRIBUTING.md: you keep the copyright, and you give Octabyte a license to use your contribution, under the Elastic License 2.0 or other terms, including in its hosted service.
What happens if I break the license?
Your license ends. Under ELv2, if you stop within 30 days of being notified, it is reinstated as if it had never ended; a second violation after that ends it for good.
Do I need a license to use the hosted console?
No. The hosted console is a service you subscribe to, with its own plans. The license on this page is about running the Cloudgate software yourself. See the hosted plans and prices.
Where to go next
Read the full Elastic License 2.0 text, see what it takes to self-host Cloudgate, compare the hosted plans with self-hosting, or read why Cloudgate exists. Questions: support@octabyte.io.
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