The Redis License Timeline: BSD to SSPL to AGPL (2024-2026)
The license saga that turned a two-way choice (Redis vs Memcached) into a three-way choice (Redis vs Memcached vs Valkey). 7 events, every date sourced.
Redis launches under 3-clause BSD
Salvatore Sanfilippo (antirez) creates Redis. BSD-3-Clause license: do what you want, just retain the copyright notice. This remains the license through Redis 7.2.4.
Redis drops BSD for SSPLv1 + RSALv2
Redis Inc announces Redis 7.4 onward will use a dual source-available license: SSPLv1 (MongoDB's anti-managed-service license) and RSALv2 (Redis Source Available License v2, which restricts competing with Redis Inc as a managed service). The OSI does not recognise either as open source.
Source: Redis blog: dual source-available licensing→Linux Foundation announces Valkey
The Linux Foundation forks Redis 7.2.4 (last BSD release) and names it Valkey. Backed by AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, Ericsson, and others. Goal: maintain a BSD-licensed, drop-in-compatible Redis successor. AWS announces ElastiCache will transition to Valkey.
Source: TechCrunch: why AWS, Google and Oracle are backing Valkey→Aiven migrates 15,000 servers to Valkey
Aiven completes a 15,000-server migration from Redis to Valkey in 3 months (May-August 2024). One of the largest documented production migrations in the ecosystem. Aiven reports 20% cost savings vs equivalent Redis Cloud.
Source: Valkey blog: 2024 year of Valkey→Antirez rejoins Redis Inc
Salvatore Sanfilippo (antirez), original Redis creator who had stepped back from Redis Inc in 2020, rejoins the company. Community reads this as a signal of Redis Inc refocusing on developer trust.
Redis 8.0 GA: tri-licensed RSALv2 / SSPL / AGPLv3
Redis 8.0 goes GA with a tri-license: RSALv2, SSPLv1, and AGPLv3. Users may choose whichever license applies to their use case. AGPLv3 is OSI-approved open source, making Redis OSI-open-source-compliant again for the first time since March 2024. Redis 8.0 also ships vector sets (HNSW-based similarity search), hash field TTL, and vendor-claimed latency improvements (up to 78% on bitmaps, vendor-sourced).
Source: Redis blog: AGPLv3 re-add→Valkey 8.1 in wide production; AWS and GCP default to Valkey
Valkey 8.1 ships in early 2026 with ~28% lower memory at 50M sorted-set entries vs Redis 8.0 (Momento benchmark, independent). AWS ElastiCache and Google Memorystore for Valkey both default to Valkey for new deployments. Valkey supports the full Redis 7.2 command set; Redis 8.0-specific commands (vector sets, hash field TTL) are not yet in Valkey.
Source: Momento: Valkey vs Redis memory efficiency→The four license options decoded
OSI = Open Source Initiative. "Source-available" means you can read the code but use is restricted.
| License | OSI-approved? | What it restricts | Used by |
|---|---|---|---|
| BSD-3-Clause | Yes | Nothing meaningful | Memcached (always), Redis (until 7.2.4), Valkey (always) |
| SSPLv1 | No | Cannot offer as managed service without open-sourcing entire stack | Redis 7.4-8.x (one of three options) |
| RSALv2 | No (source-available) | Cannot compete with Redis Inc as a managed service | Redis 7.4-8.x (one of three options) |
| AGPLv3 | Yes | Copyleft over the network: modified deployments must publish source | Redis 8.0+ (one of three options) |
Which license blocks you?
SaaS / cloud provider offering managed Redis
SSPL and RSALv2 both directly target managed-service providers. AGPLv3 is also problematic. This is why AWS, Google, and Oracle backed Valkey. If you are AWS ElastiCache or a similar service, Redis 7.4+ is effectively not usable. Use Valkey.
Closed-source SaaS embedding Redis in your product
AGPLv3's network copyleft is the concern: if you run a modified Redis as a service, you must publish your modifications. RSALv2 restricts you from competing with Redis Inc as a managed service (most SaaS products do not cross this line). Many legal teams flag AGPLv3 regardless. Valkey BSD is the conservative choice.
Internal tool, no external service
Any Redis license works in practice. AGPLv3 copyleft does not trigger unless you are offering the software as a service to external users. Internal use of Redis 8.0 under AGPLv3 is generally fine, but get your legal team to confirm for your specific context.
Regulated, air-gapped, or distribution-restricted environments
AGPLv3 obligations may not apply if there is no network interaction with external users, but interpretation varies. Valkey BSD is the safe path for environments with strict software distribution policies. Memcached is also BSD.
The “stay on Redis 7.2.4 BSD” question
Redis 7.2.4 is the last BSD-licensed release (released before the March 2024 license change). Some teams are running it in 2026 as a “license dodge”: it works, it is BSD-clean, and it requires no migration. The problem is security patches: community security backports to 7.2.4 are not guaranteed past 2026-2027. Running a frozen version of Redis in production accumulates tech debt fast, and any vulnerability that emerges in Redis 8.x may or may not get a 7.2.4 backport.
If you want BSD-clean and maintained, the correct path is Valkey, not frozen Redis 7.2.4. Valkey is the intended open-source successor to that baseline.
Calculate the cost of accumulated tech debt → techdebtcost.comVerdict: 2026 license guidance
If license is the primary question, Valkey is the safer 2026 answer for most commercial shops. Redis 8.0 AGPLv3 is fine for many uses, especially internal tooling, but check with your legal team before shipping a product on it. Memcached has always been BSD and continues to be. Redis 7.2.4 BSD works today but stop-gap only.
License FAQ
Is Redis still open source?⌄
Partially, since May 2025. Redis 8.0 added AGPLv3 as a third option alongside SSPLv1 and RSALv2. AGPLv3 is OSI-approved open source. But SSPLv1 and RSALv2 are source-available, not open source by OSI definition. Many commercial shops cannot use AGPLv3's copyleft. Valkey (BSD) is the fully unrestricted option.
What is SSPL?⌄
Server Side Public License, written by MongoDB. Requires that if you offer a product that uses SSPL-licensed software as a service, you must open-source the entire stack (your service, provisioning, monitoring, etc.). The OSI rejected SSPL as not open source. AWS, Google, and Oracle backed the Valkey fork partly because SSPL makes managed-service offerings legally fraught.
What is AGPLv3?⌄
GNU Affero General Public License v3. OSI-approved open source. Copyleft that triggers over the network: if you run a modified AGPLv3 program as a service and users interact with it over the network, you must provide the modified source. For companies with proprietary services built on Redis, this may require open-sourcing your application code. Valkey's BSD license has no such restriction.
Is Redis 7.2.4 still safe to run?⌄
Redis 7.2.4 is the last BSD-licensed Redis release (March 2024 cutoff). It is safe to run in 2026, but security patches are not backported to it. Estimated end-of-community-patch: 2026-2027. Running it as a 'license dodge' works today but accumulates tech debt. Valkey is the intended successor for BSD-compatibility.
Why did AWS back Valkey?⌄
AWS backed the Valkey fork because Redis's SSPL and RSALv2 licenses make the managed-service business model (AWS ElastiCache for Redis) legally fraught. SSPLv1 specifically targets managed-service providers. With Valkey's BSD license, AWS can continue offering managed in-memory stores without license risk. AWS, Google Cloud, Oracle, and Ericsson co-founded the Linux Foundation Valkey project in April 2024.