Title: CockroachDB Discontinues Free Core Version, Raises Concerns in Community
Date: September 9, 2024
Original Author: Renato Losio, InfoQ
Translator: Ming Zhishan
Planner: Tina
Renato Losio, an author at InfoQ, reported that CockroachDB Labs recently announced a significant adjustment to its distributed SQL database licensing model, discontinuing the free Core version and offering only the Enterprise version. This shift follows CockroachDB’s transition from an open-source license, sparking further discussions and concerns about the future of open-source solutions managed by single vendors.
Since its launch, CockroachDB has provided two self-hosted versions: the free Core version, designed for individual users and startups pursuing scalability; and the Enterprise version, tailored for enterprise-level applications. The Enterprise version offers advanced features such as cluster optimization, disaster recovery, enhanced security, and expert support.
Spencer Kimball, the CEO of Cockroach Labs, explained the company’s decision to discontinue the Core version: As more and more scalable enterprises use CockroachDB’s features, they have chosen the free Core version over the Enterprise version due to cost considerations. With the product’s continued maturity, an increasing number of use cases can run smoothly in production environments with minimal operational costs and support requirements.
Peter Zaitsev, the founder of Percona and an open-source advocate, commented on a popular discussion thread on LinkedIn: With CockroachDB’s exit from the open-source ecosystem, the future of native distributed open-source relational databases is once again under scrutiny. Although we still have options like PingCAP’s TiDB and Yugabyte, they are all controlled by single vendors and face potential license change risks. I wonder if there is a governance model similar to PostgreSQL’s distributed relational database that can fundamentally reduce the risk of license changes.
To meet the needs of new projects and existing small customers, CockroachDB will introduce two new licensing options: Enterprise Trial license, valid for 30 days and offering community support; and Enterprise Free license, a free, renewable annual license for individual developers, students, academic researchers, and enterprises with an annual income below 10 million USD.
Kimball added: This new architecture will bring powerful database features that were previously only available in self-hosted enterprise licenses to users. At the same time, CockroachDB will continue to ensure the availability of its source code.
As CockroachDB consolidates its self-hosted products under a single enterprise license and has long since departed from open-source, the community is increasingly concerned about other vendors possibly making license changes. Discussions about whether a single vendor should manage true open-source projects are becoming more intense.
On HackerNews, Andrew Mutz wrote: When an open-source project is operated by a venture capital-backed company, it will eventually move towards commercialization. It seems that ‘open-source’ is just a lure to attract attention, and when investors pursue growth, people are often kept in the dark.
Max Liu, the CEO of PingCAP, one of the few distributed database companies still committed to open-source, tried to reassure the community by writing: The significance of open-source extends beyond winning widespread attention and developer participation in a project. It is the core value of building trust and community in the software world. I am honored to be a member of this community. I don’t understand why CockroachDB made such a decision, but in my opinion, it is clearly driven by the pursuit of short-term interests.
CockroachDB’s licensing change will take effect officially in November, coinciding with the release of version 24.3. At that time, CockroachDB Labs will phase out the Core product and introduce a new enterprise licensing structure for self-hosted users. These changes will also apply to patches for versions 23.1 and subsequent versions.
[End of translation]
Note: This is a translation of the original article and is not intended to be a direct copy. The translation is for informational purposes only.
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