ELASTIC
Elastic license change advisory for teams running Elasticsearch and Kibana.
Our Elastic license change advisory maps your exposure from the move of Elasticsearch and Kibana to the Server Side Public License and the Elastic License, weighs OpenSearch against staying, and gives you a path you can defend. Independent, buyer side, and plain about the risk.
Independent, confidential, buyer side. See how buyers contained their exposure →
What the Elastic license change did
As of 2021 Elastic moved Elasticsearch and Kibana off the Apache 2.0 open source license and onto a dual model: the Server Side Public License and the Elastic License. Elastic later added an open license option. The Server Side Public License is a source available license, not OSI approved open source, and it carries conditions aimed at parties that offer the software as a managed service. The change is what prompted AWS to lead the OpenSearch fork, which carries the codebase forward under an open license.
For most enterprises the practical question is narrow but sharp: does your deployment fall inside the new terms or outside them. Elastic license change advisory answers that question against your actual usage rather than a generic reading. To understand the database wave more broadly, see the pillar on Redis, Elastic, and database relicensing.
How the advisory works
We start by mapping where Elasticsearch and Kibana sit in your estate, including the products and internal platforms built on them. We then test your deployment against the current Elastic License and Server Side Public License terms, separating internal use from any managed service offering to third parties, since the two are treated very differently. The output is a clear statement of exposure and a ranked set of options, each with its cost to cure.
Where you need the work executed, the advisory hands off to a relicensing exposure review and to open source remediation services, so you move from a clear picture to a contained position.
OpenSearch, staying, or replacing
Three paths sit in front of most teams. OpenSearch is the AWS led open source fork and is often the cleanest exit, but we confirm feature parity, migration cost, and operational support before recommending it. Staying on a current Elastic license can be the right call when your use is plainly internal and the terms are acceptable. Replacement is the answer when neither fits. We do not arrive with a favorite. We score each path and recommend the one that holds for your estate, then point you to your own counsel for the license interpretation that sits underneath the decision.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions buyers ask.
What is the Elastic license change?
As of 2021 Elastic moved Elasticsearch and Kibana from the Apache 2.0 open source license to a dual model of the Server Side Public License and the Elastic License. Elastic later added an open license option. The change restricts certain managed service use and is the reason AWS led the OpenSearch fork.
Does the Elastic license change affect my use?
It depends on how you run Elasticsearch and Kibana. Internal use is treated differently from offering the software as a managed service to third parties. Our advisory maps your specific deployment against the current terms and tells you plainly whether you are exposed.
Should we move to OpenSearch?
OpenSearch is the AWS led open source fork of Elasticsearch and is often the cleanest exit. We weigh it against staying on a current Elastic license and against replacement, scoring each on feature parity, migration effort, support, and license posture before recommending a path.
Is source available the same as open source?
No. The Server Side Public License is a source available license and is not OSI approved open source. The distinction matters because source available licenses can carry competitive use restrictions and copyleft style obligations that an open source license would not.
Is this legal advice?
No. Elastic license change advisory is commercial and licensing risk advisory, not legal advice. For interpretation of the Elastic License or the Server Side Public License and your compliance position, we recommend your own counsel.
CONTAINMENT
Know where the Elastic change leaves you.
A confidential open source license risk assessment. Independent, buyer side, paid only by you.
Not ready to talk? Read the free open source license risk guides first.