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Licensing

This repository is a multi-license codebase. Different directories are licensed under different terms.

Canonical page

This page is canonical for the AGPLv3 vs commercial decision tree and obligations. For plan pricing, see pricing. For the recommended evaluation path and procurement checklist, see the buyer guide.

Document controls

  • Owner: RecSys maintainers (contact@recsys.app)
  • Last legal/doc review: 2026-02-08
  • Next review due: 2026-05-08
  • Order of precedence: per-file SPDX/header notices and signed commercial agreements > this page

Quick map

Path/component: recsys-eval/** License: Apache License 2.0 Purpose: Offline evaluation & reporting tooling.

Path/component: api/**, recsys-algo/**, recsys-pipelines/**, and everything else unless stated otherwise License: GNU AGPL v3 Purpose: Serving API, algorithms, pipelines, ops templates

The authoritative license texts are in:

Location: LICENSE

Location: recsys-eval/LICENSE

How to determine the license for a file

We recommend (and are moving toward) using SPDX license identifiers in file headers and storing license texts in a LICENSES/ directory (REUSE specification style).

If there is ever a mismatch between this page and file headers, the per-file SPDX identifier (or the closest directory-level declaration) is the source of truth.

Using recsys-eval (Apache-2.0)

You can use, modify, and redistribute recsys-eval under Apache-2.0 terms, including in proprietary systems, provided you comply with the Apache-2.0 conditions (e.g., preserving notices).

Using the serving stack (AGPLv3)

The serving stack is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3 (AGPLv3).

If your organization cannot or does not want to comply with AGPL obligations, you can obtain a commercial license (see Commercial Use & Licensing).

Do you need a commercial license? (decision tree)

This is not legal advice. If licensing affects your business, involve counsel.

  1. Are you only using recsys-eval?
  2. Yes → it is Apache-2.0 (commercial license not needed; comply with Apache-2.0 conditions).
  3. No → continue.
  4. Are you deploying or offering network access to the serving stack (api/**, recsys-algo/**, recsys-pipelines/**)?
  5. No → your obligations depend on how you use/distribute the code.
  6. Yes → AGPLv3 applies.
  7. Can you comply with AGPLv3 terms for your deployment (including source-offer obligations for modifications)?
  8. Yes → use under AGPLv3.
  9. No / we need modifications private → request a commercial license.

Next step:

Obligations by scenario (quick reference)

This table is an operational summary, not legal advice.

Scenario Applicable path What you must do Commercial license required
Use only recsys-eval/** in internal or proprietary workflows Apache-2.0 Keep Apache notices and comply with Apache-2.0 terms No
Deploy serving stack (api/**, recsys-algo/**, recsys-pipelines/**) with network access and comply with AGPL AGPLv3 Comply with AGPL obligations, including source-offer obligations for modifications No
Deploy serving stack with private modifications and do not want AGPL source-offer obligations Commercial terms Buy and operate under signed commercial agreement + Order Form scope Yes
Internal evaluation under vendor-provided commercial evaluation artifacts Evaluation license Follow evaluation term, non-production limits, and restrictions in evaluation terms Yes (evaluation license)
OEM/resale/third-party hosting use case Commercial enterprise terms Negotiate explicit rights in signed Order Form Yes

If a use case is ambiguous, involve counsel and contact contact@recsys.app with deployment details.

Commercial licensing

We offer a commercial license as an alternative set of terms for parts of this repository covered by AGPLv3.

See:

Third-party dependencies

This project depends on third-party open source libraries with their own licenses. Compliance for those dependencies is separate from this project’s license. If you publish releases, include SBOMs and/or dependency license reports as part of your compliance workflow.

Questions

If you have licensing questions, open an issue titled "Licensing question" (public) or contact us privately if your question contains confidential details.