License
MuninnDB is source-available under the Business Source License 1.1. For the vast majority of users, it's completely free.
Who can use MuninnDB for free?
What requires a commercial license?
Offering MuninnDB (or a derivative) as a hosted service, SaaS, DBaaS, managed platform, or commercial product to third parties requires a separate license. This applies whether the service is paid or free.
In short: if you're using MuninnDB, you're fine. If you're selling MuninnDB (or hosting it as a service for others), reach out.
Apache 2.0 in 2030
On February 26, 2030, the license automatically converts to Apache 2.0 — a fully permissive open-source license with no commercial restrictions. This is built into the BSL and cannot be revoked.
We chose BSL 1.1 to protect against large cloud providers reselling MuninnDB as a managed service without contributing back — while keeping it free and source-available for everyone who actually builds with it. This is the same model used by MariaDB, CockroachDB, Sentry, and others.
Frequently asked questions
Is MuninnDB free?
Yes. Free for individuals, hobbyists, researchers, open-source projects, small companies (under 50 employees and $5M revenue), and all internal use at any company size. The only restriction is offering MuninnDB as a hosted service to third parties.
Can I use MuninnDB in production?
Absolutely. Production use is explicitly permitted under all the free-use categories above. Build, ship, scale — no license fee.
Is MuninnDB open source?
MuninnDB is source-available — the full source code is on GitHub and you can read, modify, and contribute to it. The BSL 1.1 license has one commercial restriction (no reselling as a hosted service), which is why it's technically "source-available" rather than "open source" under the OSI definition. It becomes fully open source (Apache 2.0) in 2030.
What's BSL 1.1?
The Business Source License 1.1 is a license created by MariaDB that lets you use, modify, and distribute software freely — with one restriction on commercial hosting. After a set date (the "Change Date"), it automatically converts to a fully permissive open-source license. It's used by MariaDB, CockroachDB, Sentry, HashiCorp, and many others.
My company has 200 employees. Can we use MuninnDB?
Yes — as long as you're using it internally (not offering it as a service to your customers). Internal use is free at any company size.
I'm building a SaaS product that uses MuninnDB as its database. Do I need a license?
No. Using MuninnDB as the database behind your product is fine. The restriction only applies if you're offering MuninnDB itself as a service — e.g., "MuninnDB Cloud" or a managed memory-as-a-service platform.
Can I fork MuninnDB?
Yes. You can fork, modify, and distribute it under the same BSL 1.1 terms. The commercial hosting restriction carries to derivatives.
Read the full license text on GitHub:
LICENSE on GitHub →