License and commercial use

Strawly is released under the Source First License 1.1, with a written grant that lets any organization run it on its own cloud accounts at no cost. This page explains what that allows and when a commercial license is needed.

Free to run, paid to resell

You can use, read, modify, and self-host Strawly for free, including inside a company, as long as you run it against cloud accounts you own. A paid license applies when you operate Strawly for other people or sell it as part of a product.

Free

Personal use, study, research, and hobby projects. Any organization running Strawly to manage its own AWS and Azure accounts. Reading, forking, and modifying the source. Self-hosting for all of the above.

Read the deployment guide →

Commercial license

Required to run Strawly as a service for third parties, to offer managed or hosted Strawly, or to embed it in a product or service you sell.

Contact licensing →

What you can and cannot do

Each answer starts with a direct yes or no. The full license text is the authority. This is a plain-language reading of it.

Can I use Strawly for personal projects?

Yes. Personal use, study, experimentation, and hobby projects are covered by the Source First License 1.1 at no cost.

Can my company run it on its own cloud accounts?

Yes. Strawly adds a grant on top of the license that lets any organization, whatever its size, self-host Strawly to manage its own AWS and Azure spend for free.

Can I read, fork, and change the code?

Yes. The full source is available. You can fork it, modify it, and run your version, as long as your use still falls under the free grant or a commercial license.

Do I have to publish my changes?

No. Unlike the AGPL, the Source First License 1.1 does not require you to release your modifications. If you pass Strawly on to someone else, you must include the license and state that you changed it.

Can I remove the donate section?

No, not from any copy you share or any instance other people can use, and you cannot point it at another account. You can restyle or move it as long as it stays visible. A private instance only you use is your own affair.

Can I run Strawly for clients?

Not under the free grant. Managed service providers and consultancies operating Strawly against client accounts need a commercial license. Write to licensing@strawly.app.

Can I sell a product that includes Strawly?

Not under the free grant. Embedding Strawly's engine or interface in a product or service you charge for requires a commercial license.

Does the free version leave out features?

No. There is one codebase. Access control, roles, and logs are all in the version you self-host. Payment removes nothing and unlocks nothing.

What happens if the project stops?

You keep the code you have and the system you run. The license does not expire and cannot be withdrawn as long as you follow its terms.

Why Source First instead of MIT or AGPL?

It keeps the source open for review while stopping a larger company from reselling the work with nothing flowing back. The reasoning is on the about page.

Getting a commercial license

Commercial licenses are arranged case by case and priced to the size of the deployment. They include direct access to the maintainer. Send a short description of how you plan to use Strawly to licensing@strawly.app.

Read the full license text. The same text ships in the LICENSE file of every Strawly code repository. Its base terms are the Source First License 1.1 published by FUTO, with the internal-use grant described here added on top.

Read the story behind Strawly →