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MongoDB license history

Database·Last verified 2026-11-06·Confidence: High

Changed from AGPL-3.0-only to SSPL-1.0 starting with 4.0.4 on 2018-10-16.

Versions before 4.0.4 remain under AGPL-3.0-only.

Self-hosting
Allowed
Offering as a managed service (SaaS)
Restricted
Commercial impact: Restricted

This is our summary of the license text and may contain errors or omissions. Check the original sources before you decide. Disclaimer and corrections → · Spot an error? Report it

What changed

MongoDB Community Server moved from AGPL-3.0 to SSPL-1.0 for every release after 2018-10-16, announced on 2018-10-16. On the 4.0 line the first SSPL-1.0 release is 4.0.4. Releases up to 4.0.3 remain under AGPL-3.0.

License timeline

2018-10-16

From 4.0.4

AGPL-3.0-onlyCopyleft→SSPL-1.0Source-available
Restricted
Self-hosting: Allowed
Offering as a managed service (SaaS): Restricted

All Community Server releases after 2018-10-16, including patch releases of earlier lines, are under SSPL-1.0. On the 4.0 line, 4.0.3 is the last AGPL-3.0 release and 4.0.4 is the first SSPL-1.0 release, per the repository license files.

Sources

Verified 2026-11-06·Confidence: High

Originally released under AGPL-3.0-only

For reference only. Not legal advice. How a license applies depends on your use; the license text and your counsel decide. Methodology and disclaimer →

Forks and alternatives

FerretDB

Alternative

Apache-2.0

PostgreSQL

Alternative

PostgreSQL

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More Database projects

Dragonfly

BUSL-1.1 → Dragonfly-Enterprise-Source-Available-License · 2.1.0

Restricted

Redis

RSALv2 / SSPL-1.0 → RSALv2 / SSPL-1.0 / AGPL-3.0-only · 8.0.0

Restricted

ScyllaDB

AGPL-3.0-only → ScyllaDB-Source-Available-License · 2025.1

Restricted

Elasticsearch

SSPL-1.0 / Elastic-2.0 → SSPL-1.0 / Elastic-2.0 / AGPL-3.0-only · 8.16.0

Restricted

CockroachDB

BUSL-1.1 → CockroachDB-Software-License · 24.3.0

Restricted

ArangoDB

Apache-2.0 → BUSL-1.1 · 3.12.0

Restricted

Also switched to SSPL-1.0

Redis

RSALv2 / SSPL-1.0 → RSALv2 / SSPL-1.0 / AGPL-3.0-only · 8.0.0

Restricted

Elasticsearch

SSPL-1.0 / Elastic-2.0 → SSPL-1.0 / Elastic-2.0 / AGPL-3.0-only · 8.16.0

Restricted

Graylog

GPL-3.0-only → SSPL-1.0 · 4.0.0

Restricted

Kibana

Apache-2.0 → SSPL-1.0 / Elastic-2.0 · 7.11.0

Restricted

Related guides

Source-Available vs Open Source: The Difference

What separates source-available licenses such as SSPL-1.0, BUSL-1.1, RSALv2 and Elastic-2.0 from OSI-approved open source licenses.

Commercial Use Under BUSL, SSPL, RSALv2 and ELv2

What BUSL-1.1, SSPL-1.0, RSALv2 and Elastic License 2.0 restrict for self-hosting, managed services and embedding in products.

Why Projects Moved to Source-Available Licenses

The reasons projects gave in their official announcements for moving to source-available licenses, and the changes that followed.