Synadia Response to CNCF

As someone who uses NATS, this seems fine to me I think. It seems weird to me that they think they have to leave the CNCF to create BSL extensions though. Does anyone have any insight into that?

Re: Synadia Response to CNCF

#5

Post by pzduniak » Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 9:14 PM UTC

How are folks interpreting "include (advanced features) in the NATS server while exploring a BSL license model for future versions" given the statement that "We never considered blanket relicensing of the codebase"? It sounds like grasping at semantics to paint themselves in more positive light. I still very much read this as a server code relicense of a project that they transferred to CNCF.

Re: Synadia Response to CNCF

#6

Post by perrohunter » Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 10:00 PM UTC

This is the sad reality of Open Source, in principle it is a great and noble idea, however you quickly find out that most of your "community" is users demanding fixes and features while contributing nothing, and then there's the enterprise, taking your product and making money out of it but giving you nothing in return.

Re: Synadia Response to CNCF

#7

Post by Pet_Ant » Fri, Apr 25, 2025, 11:21 PM UTC

pzduniak wrote: post #5

How are folks interpreting "include (advanced features) in the NATS server while exploring a BSL license model for future versions" given the statement that "We never considered blanket relicensing of the codebase"? It sounds like grasping at semantics to paint themselves in more positive light. I still very much read this as a server code relicense of a project that they transferred to CNCF.

I hate the rhetoric that BuSL is not open-source. It’s not currently open source, but in’s irrevocably escrowed to be open source in a few to a dozens to months and you can read it now.

Re: Synadia Response to CNCF

#8

Post by whaleofatw2022 » Sat, Apr 26, 2025, 1:44 AM UTC

Zambyte wrote: post #4

> An Apache 2.0 licensed server version will always remain available and supported. As someone who uses NATS, this seems fine to me I think. It seems weird to me that they think they have to leave the CNCF to create BSL extensions though. Does anyone have any insight into that?

My concern is the vague almost weasel words. For all we know (based on that statement) once Synadia gets whatever cleared/cleaned from other contribs, the apache codebase could be 'locked' at that state and won't get updates for 2+ years.

Although, honestly with its current feature set, as long as it gets security updates in the meanwhile and people can contribute bugfixes in a meaningful way, that -could- work.

Buuuut I'm worried that wouldn't be the case because of divergence once the bsl time kicks in...

Re: Synadia Response to CNCF

#9

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Apr 26, 2025, 4:24 AM UTC

Pet_Ant wrote: post #7

pzduniak wrote: post #5

How are folks interpreting "include (advanced features) in the NATS server while exploring a BSL license model for future versions" given the statement that "We never considered blanket relicensing of the codebase"? It sounds like grasping at semantics to paint themselves in more positive light. I still very much read this as a server code relicense of a project that they transferred to CNCF.

I hate the rhetoric that BuSL is not open-source. It’s not currently open source, but in’s irrevocably escrowed to be open source in a few to a dozens to months and you can read it now.

[deleted]

Re: Synadia Response to CNCF

#10

Post by Xymist » Sat, Apr 26, 2025, 10:14 AM UTC

There is a lesson in these repeated incidents that really needs to be learned by both industry and individual developers - if you intend, when putting the first publicly visible version of a project out to the world, that it might _ever_ be financially self sustaining or profitable, don't start with an OSS licence. Start with BSL, or whatever suits your taste, but don't start with OSS and change your mind after a few years when you realise it's a money pit. They are all money pits, it's inevitable.