ScyllaDB 2025.1 Source-Available Adoption — what do I need to change?
Decide whether ScyllaDB still fits procurement and redistribution constraints now that 2025.1 is the first release under ScyllaDB's source-available license.
Blockers
- Enabled by default in 2025.1; vNodes remain supported if explicitly disabled per keyspace.
- Lock-in via package/scylladb-2025-1
Who this is for
- enterprise
- compliance
- cost-sensitive
Candidates
Adopt ScyllaDB 2025.1 under the source-available free tier for internal/self-managed use
ScyllaDB 2025.1.0 LTS was released on 2025-04-08 and is the first release under ScyllaDB's source-available software license. As of 2026-04-02, the free self-managed tier allows up to 10 TB total storage and 50 vCPUs across all deployments and clusters per organization. The same license permits copying, distributing, benchmarking, and creating modified versions, but ScyllaDB states that licensed works are assigned to ScyllaDB and the license bars offering the software as SaaS or commercial DBaaS and bars using it to compete with ScyllaDB. Technically, 2025.1 also changes the operational baseline because Tablets are enabled by default, while vNodes remain supported if explicitly disabled per keyspace.
When to choose
Use this when you want current ScyllaDB features and supportable upgrade paths, but your use is internal or embedded rather than a hosted database product. The decisive factor is that your procurement team can accept the source-available restrictions, including the no-SaaS/no-competing-service clause and the 10 TB or 50 vCPU ceiling.
Tradeoffs
You get the unified post-2025 release stream, all former Enterprise features in the free tier, and current LTS releases. In exchange, you no longer get an OSI-style open source license for the main server and must accept audit, telemetry, assignment, and commercial-use restriction terms.
Cautions
As of 2026-04-02, this does not fit teams that need to resell ScyllaDB as a managed database service. Migration is not just legal: 2025.1 enables Tablets by default, so operators upgrading from OSS 6.2 should review upgrade guidance and keyspace behavior changes before rollout.
Stay on ScyllaDB OSS 6.2.x under AGPL
ScyllaDB states that OSS 6.2.x is the final OSS AGPL release line and that no further releases are planned under that license. As of 2026-04-02, ScyllaDB also says bugs discovered in OSS 6.2.x will continue to be addressed within the 6.2.x lifetime. This path preserves an open source license posture for the database server itself and avoids the new source-available commercial-use restrictions in 2025.1. The tradeoff is that you stay on the terminal OSS line rather than the unified 2025.x stream.
When to choose
Use this when redistribution, hosted-service rights, or open-source policy review block the 2025.1 license. The decisive factor is legal posture: AGPL obligations may still be acceptable to you, but the source-available no-SaaS and no-competing-service clauses are not.
Tradeoffs
You keep an open source license model and avoid the 2025.1 license shift. You also give up the forward release stream, newer 2025.x features, and the simplest long-term upgrade target.
Cautions
ScyllaDB explicitly positions 6.2.x as the last OSS AGPL branch, so this is a hold position rather than a long-term growth path. If you later move to 2025.1, review the documented OSS 6.2 to 2025.1 upgrade path and the default Tablets behavior.
Buy a commercial ScyllaDB arrangement or use ScyllaDB Cloud
ScyllaDB's software license says that if your use does not comply with the source-available license requirements, you must purchase a commercial license from ScyllaDB or refrain from using the software. As of 2026-04-02, ScyllaDB Cloud is sold in Standard, Professional, and Premium tiers, with a 30-day developer free trial and a 48-hour production evaluation; billing is based on provisioned instance type, storage, service plan, deployment model, and variable network and backup costs. Public pages describe the service model and savings from 1-year or 3-year commitments, but do not publish a universal list price for every commercial self-managed scenario. This path is the cleanest fit if you need managed service rights, larger scale, or formal commercial terms.
When to choose
Use this when the source-available free tier is legally or operationally disqualifying, or when you need to exceed 10 TB or 50 vCPUs. The decisive factor is that you need rights or scale that the free source-available tier does not grant.
Tradeoffs
You can align procurement with vendor-backed commercial terms and avoid trying to stretch the free tier beyond its license boundary. The downside is vendor negotiation and paid commercial spend, with exact pricing to confirm from ScyllaDB sales or the cloud calculator.
Cautions
Do not assume the free source-available binaries can later be turned into a commercial DBaaS without contract changes; the license says the opposite. Check official docs and ScyllaDB sales for exact commercial pricing and permitted use terms for your deployment model.
Try with your AI agent
$ npm install -g pocketlantern $ pocketlantern init # Restart Claude Code, Cursor, or your MCP client, then ask: # "ScyllaDB 2025.1 Source-Available Adoption — what do I need to change?"