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Redis did move away from its traditional BSD 3-Clause licensing—but the current picture is more nuanced than “Redis is no longer open source.” On March 20, 2024, Redis announced that future releases would use the Redis Source Available License v2 (RSALv2) or Server Side Public License v1 (SSPLv1), starting with Redis 7.4. Redis 8, released generally on May 1, 2025, added AGPLv3 as a third option.
That means your obligations depend on three things: the exact Redis version, the license selected, and whether you are simply using Redis inside an application or distributing or offering Redis-based functionality to customers.
The Redis license timeline
- Redis 7.2.x and earlier: BSD 3-Clause.
- March 20, 2024: Redis announced the move to RSALv2 and SSPLv1 for future releases.
- Redis 7.4: The first Redis core release under the new dual-license model.
- Redis 8, May 1, 2025: AGPLv3 was added, and many Redis Stack capabilities were incorporated into Redis Open Source.
Redis said the change was intended primarily to address cloud and managed-service providers offering Redis-based services without a commercial relationship with Redis Ltd. The company also says commercial licensing may cover uses outside the community-license terms. See Redis’s 2024 licensing announcement.
Which license applies to each Redis version?
| Redis version or product | License or terms |
|---|---|
| Redis Open Source 7.2.x and earlier | BSD 3-Clause |
| Redis Community Edition 7.4.x–7.8.x | RSALv2 or SSPLv1 |
| Redis Open Source 8.0 and later | RSALv2, SSPLv1, or AGPLv3 |
| Redis Stack 6.2.6 and later | RSALv2 or SSPLv1 |
| Redis Cloud and Redis Software | Commercial terms |
| Redis client libraries | Separate licenses; many are MIT, BSD, or Apache licensed |
Redis’s current license table should be checked for the exact release and component you use. A client such as redis-py, node-redis, Jedis, Lettuce, or go-redis does not automatically inherit the Redis server’s license.
Is Redis still open source?
The answer depends on the version and license:
- Redis 7.2 and earlier: Yes, under BSD 3-Clause.
- Redis 7.4 through 7.8: The source is available, but RSALv2 and SSPLv1 are not approved by the Open Source Initiative.
- Redis 8 and later: The release can be used under AGPLv3, which is OSI-approved, or under RSALv2 or SSPLv1.
“Source available” means that source code can be inspected and often modified, but it does not necessarily provide the broad commercial freedoms associated with a permissive open-source license. Free downloading, public source code, OSI approval, and permission to run a competing hosted service are separate questions.
RSALv2, SSPLv1, and AGPLv3 compared
| Question | RSALv2 | SSPLv1 | AGPLv3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source available? | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OSI-approved? | No | No | Yes |
| Main concern | Restrictions involving competing products and services | Broader source obligations for services | Copyleft and network-interaction obligations |
| Typical review needed | Distribution and competitive-service review | Detailed legal and commercial review for service providers | Open-source compliance and derivative-work review |
The exact license text controls. Redis describes RSALv2 as allowing use, copying, distribution, making the software available, and preparing derivative works, subject to restrictions aimed at competing database and managed-service offerings. Review the official license text rather than relying on summaries such as “commercial use is prohibited.”
What SSPLv1 changes
SSPLv1 is based on AGPLv3 but adds a broader service-source obligation. Redis says a provider that makes SSPL-licensed software available to third parties as a service may need to release the source code for the broader service stack required to run an equivalent instance, including management software, interfaces, APIs, automation, monitoring, backup, storage, and hosting software. See Redis’s explanation of SSPLv1.
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What AGPLv3 means for Redis 8
AGPLv3 is an OSI-approved copyleft license. In broad terms, modified covered software and source made available under the license must follow AGPLv3’s conditions, including network-related source-code obligations. AGPLv3 is not equivalent to BSD 3-Clause, and it does not impose the same broad “entire service stack” requirement described for SSPLv1.
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Whether an application or modification is covered in a particular way is fact-specific. Companies distributing Redis, modifying it, embedding it in products, or exposing Redis functionality over a network should obtain legal advice.
Who is most affected?
Applications using Redis internally
For a typical application that uses Redis as a cache, queue, session store, or internal data service, the immediate licensing risk is generally lower than for a company selling Redis functionality. The application does not automatically become subject to a later Redis license merely because a newer Redis release exists.
That does not mean there are no obligations. Review the selected license, included modules, notices, modifications, container images, and distribution model.
SaaS companies
A company selling access to its own application is generally offering the application—not a Redis database service. The analysis can change if customers receive Redis functionality directly, if Redis is modified and served over a network, or if the product’s central purpose is to provide Redis-like database capabilities.
Redis distributors and embedded-product vendors
If a company ships Redis binaries, source code, containers, appliances, or Redis-derived functionality to customers, it should review redistribution rights, notices, modification obligations, and whether the product is substantially a Redis service.
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Managed-service providers and cloud platforms
This is the clearest high-risk category. Redis specifically addressed managed-service providers and said continued Redis-based offerings may require a partnership or commercial arrangement. That is not a conclusion that every provider must pay, but it is a strong reason to obtain a license review before launching or expanding a competing service. See Redis’s managed-service-provider guidance.
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What happens to existing Redis installations?
The change is not retroactive. Existing Redis 7.2.x and earlier releases remain governed by BSD 3-Clause, subject to that license’s terms. Installing a later version does not automatically relicense an older release already deployed.
The practical question is whether an upgrade changes the applicable license. Before upgrading, record:
- The exact server version and distribution.
- Whether the deployment is Redis Open Source, Community Edition, Redis Stack, Redis Software, or Redis Cloud.
- Every module and module version in use.
- Whether Redis has been modified.
- Whether binaries, containers, source, or appliances are distributed to customers.
- Whether customers receive Redis functionality as a service.
- Whether a third party operates the infrastructure under commercial terms.
Redis Cloud and Redis Software are commercial products governed by contracts, not simply by the community-license choice made when downloading an open-source binary. Version availability and upgrade controls also vary by Redis Cloud plan and region; consult the current version-management documentation.
What changed with Redis 8?
Redis 8 makes the old “Redis versus Redis Stack” distinction less useful. Redis says Redis 8 integrates capabilities formerly associated with Redis Stack, including JSON, time series, probabilistic data structures, Redis Query Engine functionality, and vector sets. These included capabilities follow the Redis 8 tri-license model.
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Redis 8 is therefore not simply Redis 7.2 under a new name. Teams should review both the license and the technical changes before upgrading, especially where modules, persistence, replication, monitoring, or operational tooling are important.
Redis versus Valkey
Valkey is a Linux Foundation-backed fork created after Redis’s 2024 licensing change. It began from Redis OSS 7.2.4 and retains the BSD 3-Clause license. For organizations that prioritize permissive licensing and vendor-neutral governance, it is the principal open-source alternative to evaluate. See the Linux Foundation’s Valkey announcement.
Valkey is most straightforward for workloads close to Redis OSS 7.2. Its migration documentation states that Redis clients generally work without code changes, RESP2 and RESP3 are supported, Redis OSS 7.2 RDB and AOF formats are compatible, and the command-line tools can interoperate.
There are important limits:
- Redis Community Edition 7.4 and later data files are not compatible with Valkey according to Valkey’s migration guide.
- Modules using the Redis module API require compatibility review.
- Protocol compatibility does not guarantee feature, performance, persistence, replication, cluster, or operational compatibility.
- Redis 8-specific capabilities may not have direct Valkey equivalents.
Do not describe Valkey as a guaranteed drop-in replacement without testing a copy of production data, persistence recovery, replication, modules, scripts and functions, ACLs, monitoring, backups, and failover procedures. Use the official Valkey migration guide as the starting point.
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Stay on Redis 7.2
This can make sense when the deployment is stable, BSD licensing is strategically important, and Redis 8 features are not required. The trade-off is that indefinitely remaining on an older release can increase security, maintenance, support, and future migration burdens. Confirm the support position for your distribution before treating this as a long-term plan.
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Upgrade to Redis 8 under AGPLv3
This may fit organizations that can comply with AGPLv3, want Redis 8’s integrated capabilities, and are not offering a competing managed Redis service. Have legal and compliance teams review modifications, distribution, network access, and source-code procedures.
Use Redis 8 under RSALv2 or SSPLv1
This may fit a use case that satisfies the chosen license and does not fall into restricted competitive-service activity, or a company that has a commercial agreement. SSPLv1 deserves particular scrutiny for service providers because its source obligation is broader than simply publishing Redis modifications.
Choose Redis Cloud or Redis Software
A managed or commercial Redis product may be appropriate when the organization wants vendor support, hosted operations, enterprise deployment options, or contractual rights for a use case that does not fit comfortably within the community licenses. Redis Cloud is designed for teams that want to avoid operating clusters, backups, upgrades, monitoring, and high availability themselves. Redis Software is aimed at supported, self-managed or customer-controlled enterprise deployments. Review the Redis Cloud, Redis Software, and applicable contract pages; do not assume public pricing or plan features are constant.
Migrate to Valkey
Valkey may be the better route when BSD-style licensing and vendor-neutral governance matter more than Redis-specific features or Redis Ltd. support. Budget for testing and operational retraining, particularly if the current deployment is based on Redis 7.4 or later, uses modules, or depends on Redis 8 features.
Compliance checklist
- Inventory the deployment: Capture the exact version, distribution, image digest, package source, and modules.
- Identify the governing terms: Confirm whether the component is BSD 3-Clause, RSALv2, SSPLv1, AGPLv3, or covered by a commercial contract.
- Map the service boundary: Determine whether Redis is internal infrastructure or functionality customers can directly use.
- Review modifications: Document source changes, patches, modules, scripts, and derivative components.
- Review distribution: Check whether customers receive binaries, containers, source, appliances, or Redis-derived functionality.
- Preserve notices: Maintain license texts, copyright notices, attribution, and source-offer procedures where required.
- Escalate unusual models: Obtain counsel for managed services, embedded products, database platforms, and major Redis modifications.
- Test alternatives: If considering Valkey, test migration from a copy of production data and validate persistence, modules, failover, monitoring, and recovery.
The bottom line
The relevant question is no longer simply, “Is Redis open source?” Ask instead: Which Redis version are we using, which license applies, and how is Redis deployed?
Redis 7.2 and earlier remain BSD-licensed. Redis 7.4 through 7.8 use source-available licenses. Redis 8 and later add AGPLv3 alongside RSALv2 and SSPLv1. Ordinary internal application users may face limited immediate disruption, while managed-service providers, distributors, embedded-product vendors, and Redis-based platform companies need a detailed license or commercial review. For teams that need permissive licensing, Valkey is a credible option—but compatibility must be demonstrated, not assumed.
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