MySQL: Do I have to purchase a license for InnoDB if I plan to use it in a for-profit setting (commercial use)?

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+2 Q:

MySQL: Do I have to purchase a license for InnoDB if I plan to use it in a for-profit setting (commercial use)?

If I plan to use MySQL on a web-development project (example.com) where my web application is a commercial product where I'm selling a service and it just so happens that MySQL, using the InnoDB engine, is the backend data storage for my web application ... do I have to purchase a commercial license to use MySQL/InnoDB?

If I do have to purchase a commercial license, can anyone recommend a good alternative to MySQL that's free (no strings attached).

Thanks

+2 A:

UPDATE. Sorry, I got it wrong first. If you are not distributing your website's code, than no, you don't need to buy a license. GPL only restricts redistribution, not use.

Innobase Oy provides InnoDB exclusively to Sun/MySQL, which distributes and supports InnoDB within its product offerings. InnoDB is included under the open source GNU Public License (GPL) V2 in the MySQL Enterprise Server and is suitable for a broad range of users. The MySQL Community Edition, which is likewise is available in open source under the terms of the GPLv2, also includes InnoDB.

http://www.innodb.com/products/innodb/license/

HeavyWave 2009-10-27 14:29:07

Soooo ... is that a yes or no? Do I have to purchase a license if I plan to use MySQL in a commercial setting or not?

Teddi 2009-10-27 14:31:17

See my update and this thread: http://forums.mysql.com/read.php?4,14006,15076#msg-15076

HeavyWave 2009-10-27 14:37:49

Out of curiosity, since in my case MySQL would not be embedded since it's a web-application, why would distributing my PHP code then have to cause me to purchase a MySQL license?

Teddi 2009-10-27 14:39:17

GPL forces you to make your application open-source IF you distribute it, that's all. " This License explicitly affirms your unlimited permission to run the unmodified Program. The output from running a covered work is covered by this License only if the output, given its content, constitutes a covered work." I'm not sure if you can sell the application with source-code though. You should check the license itself, but the answer your original question is definite: no, you don't have to purchase commercial license just to use with your website.

HeavyWave 2009-10-27 14:44:52

@HeavyWave, wouldn't what you're describing imply that Wordpress and other projects that use MySQL as the backend database storage would then also have to purchase a MySQL license since they "distribute" their code. I'm confused

Teddi 2009-10-27 14:51:23

No, they don't distribute MySQL libraries or the server, they just let you use one.

HeavyWave 2009-10-27 14:55:04

HeavyWave is right. To clear up what he wasn't sure about, there is no prohibition on selling GPLed software. I'm selling a gcc source tarball for $1,000,000, if anyone is interested. But if I do that, I also have to provide you the same thing for free. Same with your situation, if you sell your application AND include mysql source or modified mysql source (which it doesn't sound like you're doing), you would have to provide access the mysql source or modified mysql source for free.

Keith Randall 2009-10-27 22:11:08

+1 A:

PostgreSQL is completely free and is a suitable replacement for MySQL.

From what I understand the way you are using MySQL is within the free license, but I'm not positive on that one.

Jestep 2009-10-27 14:30:55

After reading the licensing (http://www.mysql.com/about/legal/licensing/index.html). If your app is based around MySQL, it seems you need the PRO or Enterprise versions.

Jestep 2009-10-27 14:36:56

What does "your app is based around MySQL"? I have a web site that uses PHP to connect to MySQL to fetch data, since MySQL is the backend data storage. In my case, is my app "based around MySQL". I would say "yes" because all of my web site content is in the MySQL database. (So that would imply that all Wordpress website that have Adsense on the site making money then requires people to purchase a MySQL license if MySQL is the backend database)

Teddi 2009-10-27 14:43:15

+1 A:

From my understanding you dont have to purchase a commercial license if you want to use MySQL for commercial purposes. Purchasing a license gives you enterprise support from the MySQL team and they help u with optimization and stuff like that. Look at the comparison chart here:

http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/mysql/5.1.html

Sabeen Malik 2009-10-27 14:35:00

PostgreSQL has no commercial version and is much safer (legally) to use than MySQL, plus it very similar to Oracle Pl/SQL so the skills needed for it are almost the same as Oracle and easy to find.

To be safe I would not use MySQL unless I purchased a license.

Here is an article on the subject of MySQL License: http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2008/05/14/mysql-free-software-but-not-open-source/

Todd Moses 2009-10-27 16:50:28

Unless you provide detailed citations, especially from lawyers or from law, you are only FUD'ing about the legal safety of MySQL.

Adriano Varoli Piazza 2009-10-27 16:56:43

You are purchasing legal safety with the license. If you do not buy a license then you could be open to legal problems. A license is a legal right to use the software within specific parameters.

Todd Moses 2009-10-28 12:36:59

Actually, by buying a license you are bound by the particular terms of that license. If just use MySQL without license (as you are free to do; GPL is not a usage license), you are not bound by those terms, just copyright law. If you din't have any intention of distributing MySQL anyway, then copyright doesn't matter. Therefore, in this particular case buying a license cannot give you any extra rights, but it's possible that that license takes away rights. So following the suggestion above exposes you to additional legal risk. -1

MSalters 2009-10-28 13:04:44

Firebird can be a very good choice and it is FREE

You can also read this

Hugues Van Landeghem 2009-10-27 21:27:16

ansaurus

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MySQL: Do I have to purchase a license for InnoDB if I plan to use it in a for-profit setting (commercial use)?

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