This chapter describes MySQL licensing and support arrangements, including:
The formal terms of the license for non-Microsoft operating systems such as Unix or OS/2 are specified in section J The MySQL server license for non Microsoft operating systems. Basically, our licensing policy is as follows:
mysqld server. However, a
multiple-CPU machine counts as a single machine, and there is no restriction
on the number of MySQL servers that run on one machine, or on the
number of clients concurrently connected to a server running on that
machine!
mysql command line client includes code from the readline
library that is under the GNU Public License.
myisampack utility for creating fast compressed read-only
databases. (The server includes support for reading such databases but
not the packing tool used to create them.) When support agreements
generate sufficient revenue, we will release this tool under the same
license as the MySQL server.
For use under Microsoft operating systems (Win95/Win98/WinNT), you need a MySQL license after a trial period of 30 days, with the exception that licenses may be obtained upon request at no cost for educational use or for university- or government-sponsored research settings. See section K The MySQL license for Microsoft operating systems. A shareware version of MySQL-Win32 that you can try before buying is available at http://www.mysql.com/mysql_w32.htmy. After you have paid, you will get a password that will enable you to access the newest MySQL-Win32 version.
If you have any questions as to whether or not a license is required for your particular use of MySQL, please contact us. See section 3.5.2 Contact information.
If you require a MySQL license, the easiest way to pay for it is to use the license form at TcX's secure server at https://www.mysql.com/license.htmy. Other forms of payment are discussed in section 3.5.1 Payment information.
There are several different copyrights on the MySQL distribution:
mysqlclient
library and programs in the `client' directory is in the public
domain. Each file that is in the public domain has a header which clearly
states so. This includes everything in the `client' directory and some parts of
the mysys, mystring and dbug libraries.
getopt) are covered by the
``GNU LIBRARY LIBRARY GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE''. See the
`mysys/COPYING.LIB' file.
readline) are covered by the
``GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE''. See the `readline/COPYING' file.
regexp library) are covered by a Berkeley
style copyright.
The following points set forth the philosophy behind our copyright policy:
We may choose to distribute older versions of MySQL with the GPL in the future. However, these versions will be identified as GNU MySQL. Also, all copyright notices in the relevant files will be changed to the GPL.
This section is a clarification of the license terms that are set forth in the ``MySQL FREE PUBLIC LICENSE'' (FPL). See section J The MySQL server license for non Microsoft operating systems.
MySQL may be used freely, including by commercial entities for evaluation or unsupported internal use. However, distribution for commercial purposes of MySQL, or anything containing or derived from MySQL in whole or in part, requires a written commercial license from TcX AB, the sole entity authorized to grant such licenses.
You may not include MySQL ``free'' in a package containing anything for which a charge is being made, except as noted below.
The intent of the exception provided in the second clause of the license is to allow commercial organizations operating an FTP server or a bulletin board to distribute MySQL freely from it, provided that:
If you want to distribute software in a commercial context that incorporates MySQL and you do not want to meet these conditions, you should contact TcX AB to find out about commercial licensing, which involves a payment. The only ways you legally can distribute MySQL or anything containing MySQL are by distributing MySQL under the requirements of the FPL, or by getting a commercial license from TcX AB.
This section describes some situations illustrating whether or not you must license the MySQL server. Generally these examples involve providing MySQL as part of a product or service that you are selling to a customer, or requiring that MySQL be used in conjunction with your product. In such cases, it is your responsibility to obtain a license for the customer if one is necessary. (This requirement is waived if your customer already has a MySQL license. But the seller must send customer information and the license number to TcX, and the license must be a full license, not an OEM license.)
Note that a single MySQL license covers any number of
CPUs/users/customers/mysqld servers on a machine!
To determine whether or not you need a MySQL license when selling your application, you should ask whether the proper functioning of your application is contingent on the use of MySQL and whether you include MySQL with your product. There are several cases to consider:
mysqld server. For example, if you've designed your
application around MySQL, then you've really made a commercial
product that requires the engine, so you need a license.
If your application does not require MySQL, you need not obtain a
license. For example, if MySQL just added some new optional
features to your product (such as adding logging to a database if
MySQL is used rather than logging to a text file), it should fall
within normal use, and a license would not be required.
In other words, you need a license if you sell a product designed
specifically for use with MySQL or that requires the MySQL
server to function at all. This is true whether or not you provide
MySQL for your client as part of your product distribution.
It also depends on what you're doing for the client. Do you plan to provide
your client with detailed instructions on installing MySQL with your
software? Then your product may be contingent on the use of MySQL;
if so, you need to buy a license. If you are simply tying into a database
that you expect already to have been installed by the time your software is
purchased, then you probably don't need a license.
mysqld server,
because in this case you are selling a system that includes MySQL.
This is true whether the use of MySQL with your product
is required or optional.
If you perform MySQL installation on a client's machine and any money changes hands for the service (directly or indirectly), then you must buy a MySQL license.
If you sell an application for which MySQL is not strictly required but can be used, a license may be indicated, depending on how MySQL is set up. Suppose your product neither requires MySQL nor includes it in your product distribution, but can be configured to use MySQL for those customers who so desire. (This would be the case, for example, if your product can use any of a number of database engines.)
If the customer obtains and installs MySQL, no license is needed. If you perform that service for your customer, then a license is needed because then you are selling a service that includes MySQL.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) often host MySQL servers for their customers.
If you are an ISP that allows customers to install and administer MySQL for themselves on your machine with no assistance from you, neither you nor your customer need a MySQL license.
If you charge for MySQL installation and administrative support as part of your customer service, then you need a license because you are selling a service that includes MySQL.
If you use MySQL in conjunction with a web server, you don't have to pay for a license.
This is true even if you run a commercial web server that uses MySQL, since you are not selling MySQL itself. However, in this case we would like you to purchase MySQL support, because MySQL is helping your enterprise.
Our current license prices are shown below. All prices are in US Dollars. If you pay by credit card, the currency is EURO (European Union Euro) so the prices will differ slightly.
| Number of licenses | Price per copy | Total |
| 1 | US $200 | US $200 |
| 10 pack | US $150 | US $1500 |
| 50 pack | US $120 | US $6000 |
For high volume (OEM) purchases, the following prices apply:
| Number of licenses | Price per copy | Minimum at one time | Minimum payment |
| 100-999 | US $40 | 100 | US $4000 |
| 1000-2499 | US $25 | 200 | US $5000 |
| 2500-4999 | US $20 | 400 | US $8000 |
For OEM purchases, you must act as the middle-man for eventual problems or extension requests from your users. We also require that OEM customers have at least an extended email support contract.
If you have a low-margin high-volume product, you can always talk to us about other terms (for example, a percent of the sale price). If you do, please be informative about your product, pricing, market and any other information that may be relevant.
After buying 1 MySQL license, you will get a personal copy of
the myisampack utility. You are not allowed to redistribute this
utility but you can distribute tables packed with it.
A full-price license is not a support agreement and includes very minimal support. This means that we try to answer any relevant question. If the answer is in the documentation, we will direct you to the appropriate section. If you have not purchased a license or support, we probably will not answer at all.
If you discover what we consider a real bug, we are likely to fix it in any case. But if you pay for support we will notify you about the fix status instead of just fixing it in a later release.
More comprehensive support is sold separately. Descriptions of what each level of support includes are given in section 3.6 Types of commercial support. Costs for the various types of commercial support are shown below. Support level prices are in EURO (European Union Euro). One EURO is about 1.17 USD.
| Type of support | Cost per year |
| Basic email support | EURO 170 |
| Extended email support | EURO 1000 |
| Login support | EURO 2000 |
| Extended login support | EURO 5000 |
You may upgrade from any lower level of support to a higher level of support for the difference between the prices of the two support levels.
Currently we can take SWIFT payments, cheques or credit cards.
Payment should be made to:
Postgirot Bank AB 105 06 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN TCX DataKonsult AB BOX 6434 11382 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN SWIFT address: PGSI SESS Account number: 96 77 06 - 3
Specify: license and/or support and your name and email address.
In Europe and Japan you can use EuroGiro (that should be less expensive) to the same account.
If you want to pay by cheque, make it payable to ``Monty Program KB'' and mail it to the address below:
TCX DataKonsult AB BOX 6434, Torsgatan 21 11382 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
If you want to pay by credit card over the Internet, you can use TcX's secure license form.
You can also print a copy of the license form, fill it in and send it by fax to:
+46-8-729 69 05
If you want us to bill you, you can use the license form and write ``bill us'' in the comment field. You can also mail a message to with your company information and ask us to bill you.
For commercial licensing, or if you have any questions about any of the information in this section, please contact the MySQL licensing team. The much preferred method is by E-Mail to these may take much longer (Fax +46-8-729 69 05).
David Axmark Detron HB Kungsgatan 65 B 753 21 UPPSALA SWEDEN Voice Phone +46-18-10 22 80 (Timezone GMT+1. Swedish and English spoken)
Basic email support is a very inexpensive support option and should be thought of more as a way to support our development of MySQL than as a real support option.
At this support level, the MySQL mailing lists are the preferred means of communication. Questions normally should be mailed to the primary mailing list (mysql@lists.mysql.com) or one of the other regular lists (for example, mysql-win32@lists.mysql.com for Windows-related MySQL questions), as someone else already may have experienced and solved the problem you have. See section 2.2 Asking questions or reporting bugs.
However, by purchasing basic email support, you also have access to the support address mysql-support@mysql.com, which is not available as part of the minimal support that you get by purchasing a MySQL license. This means that for especially critical questions, you can cross-post your message to data, you should post only to mysql-support@mysql.com.)
REMEMBER! to ALWAYS include your registration number and expiration date when you send a message to
Basic email support includes the following types of service:
myisampack packing tool for
creating fast compressed read-only databases. The current server includes
support for reading such databases but not the packing tool used to
create them.
Extended email support includes everything in basic email support with these additions:
mysqld for your situation.
Login support includes everything in extended email support with these additions:
kill -9 command).
Extended login support includes everything in login support with these additions:
mysql> select MY_CALCULATION(col_name1,col_name2) from tbl_name;
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