Licensing¶
This guide explains the licensing model of EventSourcingDB and how it applies to different use cases. It outlines what is free to use, when a commercial license is required, and how the licensing mechanism works in practice.
Understanding these terms will help you evaluate whether EventSourcingDB fits your technical and legal requirements – especially in environments with security, compliance, or air-gapped constraints.
Free Tier for Small Use Cases¶
EventSourcingDB can be used free of charge for small-scale applications that store up to 25,000 events. This limit is designed to support a wide range of use cases, including evaluation, development, testing, personal projects, and smaller commercial systems.
As long as the number of stored events remains below 25,000, you can use EventSourcingDB without a license key – in development and in production.
Commercial Licensing¶
If you need to store more than 25,000 events, a commercial license is required. Each license is bound to a single instance of EventSourcingDB. If you operate multiple instances, you need a separate license for each of them.
Licenses are valid for one year and can be renewed annually. For organizations running EventSourcingDB at larger scale, we also offer optional volume licenses.
Technical License Handling¶
Licensed users receive a license key that is provided as a file. It can be passed via a command-line flag or placed in a predefined location. There is no online activation or remote license verification – EventSourcingDB does not connect to any external servers for license checks.
This makes the system fully usable in isolated environments with no internet access, such as air-gapped networks or high-security zones.
Behavior After License Expiry¶
If a license expires, EventSourcingDB continues to function in read-only mode. You can still access all stored data, run queries, and replay events. However, new events can only be written if the total number of stored events is still below the 25,000 threshold – or if a new valid license is provided.
Your data is never locked, and no features are silently disabled. The system remains transparent and predictable, even when a license is missing or expired.
Licensing Model in Practice¶
EventSourcingDB follows a clear and pragmatic licensing model: free for small-scale usage, licensed per instance for larger systems. It is closed-source and commercially maintained, with a focus on long-term sustainability, operational simplicity, and professional support.
If you're unsure which licensing model applies to your situation, or if you'd like to request a quote or a volume license, feel free to contact us at hello@thenativeweb.io. We're happy to help.