Starting from Zabbix version 7.0, all subsequent Zabbix versions will be released under the GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3). You can modify the relevant version and propagate such modified version under the terms of the AGPLv3 as published by the Free Software Foundation. For additional details, including answers to common questions about the AGPLv3, see the generic FAQ from the Free Software Foundation at http://www.fsf.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html.
Zabbix is Open Source Software, however, if you use Zabbix in a commercial context we kindly ask you to support the development of Zabbix by purchasing some level of technical support. All previous Zabbix software versions up to 6.4 are released under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2). The formal terms of the GPLv2 and AGPLv3 can be found at http://www.fsf.org/licenses/.
Zabbix documentation is NOT distributed under a GPL license. The use of Zabbix documentation is subject to the following terms:
You may create a printed copy of this documentation solely for your own personal use. Conversion to other formats is allowed as long as the actual content is not altered or edited in any way.
You may not publish or distribute this documentation in any form or on any media, except if you distribute the documentation in a manner similar to how Zabbix disseminates it (that is, electronically for download on a Zabbix web site) or on a USB or similar medium, provided that the documentation is disseminated together with the software on the same medium.
Any other use, such as any dissemination of printed copies or use of this documentation, in whole or in part, in another publication, requires the prior written consent from an authorized representative of Zabbix. Zabbix reserves any and all rights to this documentation not expressly granted above.
Since 2001, all versions of Zabbix Monitoring Solution software have been released under GNU General Public License version 2.0 or later (GPLv2 or later), which has proven to be a strong and well-regarded copyleft license.
However, we’ve also been on the lookout for a licensing solution that would allow us to stay open source while keeping our values intact, adding flexibility, and maintaining copyright protection. That’s why we’ve been releasing Zabbix under GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (AGPLv3), starting from version 7.0.
AGPL V3 is an OSI-approved license that meets all criteria for Free and Open-Source Software. The purpose of AGPLv3 is to impose copyleft license on modified versions made available for use over a network.
As far as we’re concerned, the release of Zabbix software under AGPLv3 will not create any impact on any plugins, modules, or widgets released under any AGPLv3 compliant licenses. Our Contributor License Agreement (CLA) will not change in any way.
In terms of templates, there is an opinion that application programming interfaces (APIs) are not protected by copyright. However, if the developer of a template considers the template copyrightable, we recommend that they release the template under any permissive or copyleft open-source software license that is AGPLv3 compliant (e.g., 3-clause BSD, MIT, Apache license 2.0, LGPLv3, GPLv3, or AGPLv3).
It won’t. This change will do nothing to prevent Zabbix users from using Zabbix software — in fact, the only difference is that under the AGPLv3 license users must share source code if they are modifying it and making it available to others, either by distribution or over a network. For distributors, AGPLv3 has the same source code sharing requirements as other strong copyleft licenses, including GPLv2 or later.
Ultimately, we believe that releasing Zabbix under the AGPLv3 licence is the perfect balance between protecting our business interests and staying free and open source.