Terraform: From Open Source to Business Source License

🔄Terraform has transitioned from an open source license to a Business Source License (BSL), which restricts commercial use.

💼The BSL prevents giant companies like Amazon and Google from taking the code and offering it as a paid service on their platforms.

💰HashiCorp's decision to switch to BSL is aimed at monetizing its core products and improving profitability.

🔒Startups and other companies providing terraform services won't be able to incorporate future releases or security patches in their offerings.

💻The open source community has protested against the switch to BSL, with a project called opentf forking terraform to maintain a truly open source version.

Why did HashiCorp switch terraform to a Business Source License?

—HashiCorp switched terraform to a Business Source License to prevent large companies from profiting off the code developed by small businesses.

What does the Business Source License (BSL) allow?

—The BSL allows users to copy, modify, and redistribute the code, but restricts commercial use under specific conditions.

How does the BSL affect startups providing terraform services?

—Startups providing terraform services won't be able to incorporate future releases or security patches, limiting their offerings.

How has the open source community responded to the switch to BSL?

—The open source community has voiced its protest and a project called opentf has forked terraform to maintain a truly open source version.

Are there alternative tools to terraform?

—Yes, there are alternative tools like Ansible, Pulumi, CloudFormation, and Deployment Manager that can be used for infrastructure-as-code.

00:06Terraform, once an open source infrastructure-as-code tool, has transitioned to a Business Source License (BSL).

00:17The BSL restricts commercial use of terraform, preventing giant companies from profiting off the code.

00:32The switch to BSL aims to monetize HashiCorp's core products and improve profitability.

00:46Startups and companies providing terraform services won't be able to incorporate future releases or security patches.

01:32The open source community protests against the switch to BSL, with a project called opentf forking terraform.