Apache-2.0, single tenant
Why Galena is permissively licensed and deploys one workspace per account.
Problem
Galena's main use is running it in your own AWS account, and many companies don't allow AGPL code inside. Hosting many tenants adds isolation, billing and noisy-neighbour work that doesn't help someone running their own copy.
Decision
License under the Apache License 2.0. Deploy one workspace per installation, into the operator's
own AWS account. Every table still carries workspace_id.
Alternatives
| Option | Why not |
|---|---|
| MIT | Just as permissive, but with no explicit patent grant and nothing about trademarks |
| AGPL-3.0 | Many companies avoid it, which works against running Galena in your own account |
| A source-available license | Not open source, and a barrier to the same adopters |
| A multi-tenant service | Scope, cost and security surface |
Consequences
- Anyone may use, change and redistribute Galena, in open or closed products, keeping the license and its notices.
- Contributors grant a patent license for what they contribute.
- The license grants no rights to the Galena name.
- No hosted offering to maintain. Adding tenancy later means scoping sign-in and filtering rows, not rewriting the schema. See Global identity tables.
Revisit when
There is demand for a hosted version.