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diff --git a/source/licensing.rst b/source/licensing.rst new file mode 100644 index 0000000..933f221 --- /dev/null +++ b/source/licensing.rst @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ +Licensing +========= + +If you intend to use rsyslog inside a GPLv3 compatible project, you are free to +do so. You don't even need to continue reading. If you intend to use rsyslog +inside a non-GPLv3 compatible project, rsyslog offers you some liberties to do +that, too. However, you then need to study the licensing details in depth. + +The project hopes this is a good compromise, which also gives a boost to +fellow free software developers who release under GPLv3. + +And now on to the dirty and boring license details, still on a executive +summary level. For the real details, check source files and the files +COPYING and COPYING.LESSER inside the distribution. + +The rsyslog package contains several components: + +- the rsyslog core programs (like rsyslogd) +- plugins (like imklog, omrelp, ...) +- the rsyslog runtime library + +Each of these components can be thought of as individual projects. In +fact, some of the plugins have different main authors than the rest of +the rsyslog package. All of these components are currently put together +into a single "rsyslog" package (tarball) for convenience: this makes it +easier to distribute a consistent version where everything is included +(and in the right versions) to build a full system. Platform package +maintainers in general take the overall package and split off the +individual components, so that users can install only what they need. In +source installations, this can be done via the proper ./configure +switches. + +However, while it is convenient to package all parts in a single +tarball, it does not imply all of them are necessarily covered by the +same license. Traditionally, GPL licenses are used for rsyslog, because +the project would like to provide free software. GPLv3 has been used +since around 2008 to help fight for our freedom. All rsyslog core +programs are released under GPLv3. But, from the beginning on, plugins +were separate projects and we did not impose and license restrictions on +them. So even though all plugins that currently ship with the rsyslog +package are also placed under GPLv3, this can not taken for granted. You +need to check each plugins license terms if in question - this is +especially important for plugins that do NOT ship as part of the rsyslog +tarball. + +In order to make rsyslog technology available to a broader range of +applications, the rsyslog runtime is, at least partly, licensed under +LGPL. If in doubt, check the source file licensing comments. As of now, +the following files are licensed under LGPL: + +- queue.c/.h +- wti.c/.h +- wtp.c/.h +- vm.c/.h +- vmop.c/.h +- vmprg.c/.h +- vmstk.c/.h +- expr.c/.h +- sysvar.c/.h +- ctok.c/.h +- ctok\_token.c/.h +- regexp.c/.h +- sync.c/.h +- stream.c/.h +- var.c/.h + +This list will change as time of the runtime modularization. At some +point in the future, there will be a well-designed set of files inside a +runtime library branch and all of these will be LGPL. Some select extras +will probably still be covered by GPL. We are following a similar +licensing model in GnuTLS, which makes effort to reserve some +functionality exclusively to open source projects. |