RE: License question

Christophe is spot on when it comes to the PostgreSQL software.

Not trying to be "snarky" or condescending, but there are some other considerations. "Open Source" or "Free" does not mean "without cost".

No matter where you decide to host the software, there will be storage, compute, and network costs, not only to support the software itself, but also the data you store.

With respect to the data, since you or your employer have decided to persistently store the data in a database, I would presume the data, and more importantly, access to that data, has value.

It seems from the original post that you've decided to pay someone (a cloud vendor) to "take care" of the storage, network, and compute "services". That's great!

But, what about that "non-licensed" software? Once you use that software to store and access your data, you have created a CONTINUING need for that software. What will it cost you or your employer if a "bug" in that software prevents access to, or worse yet, corrupts your data.

Are you willing to sign up for "maintaining" PostgreSQL in your environment, INCLUDING things like patching, finding and fixing bugs, upgrades, backup and recovery, and off-hours support? If you or your employer have any concerns about this, and IHMO, you should, you might want to consider a "licensed and supported" version of PostgreSQL. There are several out there, including EDB and others. Even the big cloud vendors have "support plans" for PostgreSQL.

Oh, and don't forget, a backup only as good as the last time you tested a restore.

Clay Jackson
Database Solutions Architect
clay(dot)jackson(at)quest(dot)com

-----Original Message-----
From: Christophe Pettus <xof(at)thebuild(dot)com>
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2024 11:59 AM
To: prashant sinha <prashantssiin(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)in>
Cc: pgsql-general(at)lists(dot)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: License question

CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not follow guidance, click links, or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

> On Nov 21, 2024, at 21:40, prashant sinha <prashantssiin(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)in> wrote:
> Is there a free version of PostgreSQL available which I can use without buying any licenses? In case I want to self install and manage the database? Just need guidance if I can install the available version from site for business purpose too or I must buy licenses? Will appreciate an appropriate related answer.

PostgreSQL itself is an open source project distributed under a very permissive license:

https://www.postgresql.org/about/licence/

No payment is required to download and run it.