Licensing & sponsorship
SkeinDB is, and will remain, free and open-source software under the Apache License 2.0. This page explains what that means in practice, how the project sustains itself, and what paid tiers are available.
The license
The entire SkeinDB source tree is distributed under Apache-2.0. This lets you:
- Use SkeinDB in commercial and closed-source products.
- Modify and redistribute the source (keeping the license notice).
- Embed it in appliances, SaaS, edge devices, or internal tools.
- Benefit from the Apache-2.0 explicit patent grant — important for database workloads.
We considered AGPLv3, SSPL, and source-available variants (BSL/Elastic). For now we are deliberately staying with Apache-2.0 because it maximizes trust and adoption in the early phase, which is where the project benefits most from contributors and design feedback. If we later decide to add a commercial add-on layer, it will be a separately licensed module, not a retroactive license change on the core.
Ways to fund the project
These are grouped from lowest-friction to highest commitment. All options coexist with the Apache-2.0 core.
GitHub Sponsors / OpenCollective Easy
Monthly recurring sponsorship tiers ($5 / $25 / $100 / $500). Lowest friction, works globally, signals demand to future contributors. Add a "Sponsor" button to the repo and to this page.
Named research track sponsorships Medium
SkeinDB has 20 research tracks (delta-chained values, ETag validators, oblivious execution, QUIC transport, Wasm UDFs, etc.). A sponsor funds one track (e.g. "Wasm UDF sandbox — sponsored by Acme Corp") and gets attribution in the relevant doc + release notes.
Commercial support contracts Medium
Bronze / Silver / Gold tiers: SLA-backed email + chat support, priority bug triage, migration assistance, and a direct line to the maintainers. Revenue roughly tracks number of production deployments.
Hosted / managed SkeinDB Longer term
A hosted offering (single-node, HA, or multi-tenant) that runs the same open-source binary. Classic "open core + SaaS" pattern. This is the highest upside but requires ops investment; likely post-1.0.
Commercial add-on modules Later
Optional, separately-licensed enterprise modules (e.g. advanced RBAC, SSO/SAML, multi-region replication UI, compliance bundles). Core stays Apache-2.0; add-ons ship as separate binaries or crates under a commercial EULA.
Training & consulting Low setup
Paid workshops ("SkeinDB internals", "SkeinQL for backend engineers"), architecture reviews, and time-boxed engineering engagements. Useful early: fills the gap before any recurring revenue exists.
Grants & research funding Opportunistic
SkeinDB’s research surface (MVCC + oblivious execution + tamper-evident WAL + Wasm UDFs) is a natural fit for applied-research grants and open-source foundations (e.g. NLnet, Sovereign Tech Fund).
Merch & community Easy
Small but positive brand signal: stickers, t-shirts, hoodies via a print-on-demand store. Not a revenue engine, but it’s a frictionless way for supporters to contribute and spread the word.
Suggested phased approach
| Phase | Trigger | Turn on |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Today | Pre-1.0, small audience | GitHub Sponsors button, donations link on this page, clear LICENSE. |
| 2. Soon | First 3–5 production users ask for support | Commercial support tiers + priority-issue SLA, optional consulting. |
| 3. After 1.0 | Stable on-disk format, running clusters | Hosted offering (single-tenant dev tier free), first commercial add-on module. |
| 4. Growth | Meaningful MRR from #3 | Full enterprise bundle, partner program, optional research grants. |
What not to do
- Don’t switch the core off Apache-2.0 retroactively. It erodes trust and splits the ecosystem.
- Don’t make benchmarks, tests, or docs proprietary. They are the credibility of the project.
- Don’t gatekeep bug fixes behind a paid tier. Gate roadmap priority and response time, not correctness.
- Don’t ship telemetry to the mothership by default. SkeinDB is a database — silent data egress is an immediate disqualifier for serious users.
Sponsor tiers
Suggested sponsorship levels (exact tiers on GitHub Sponsors may vary):
| Tier | Amount | You get |
|---|---|---|
| Supporter | $5 / month | Thank-you mention in release notes. |
| Backer | $25 / month | Supporter + listing in the README Backers section. |
| Sustainer | $100 / month | Backer + monthly email with the next-month roadmap preview. |
| Corporate sponsor | $500 / month | Sustainer + logo on the Roadmap page + direct email channel. |
Commercial support tiers
For teams running SkeinDB in production. Everything is scoped around the open-source binary — no code is held back. Full tier table and add-ons are on the Support & Pricing page.
| Tier | Price | Response | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €299 / mo | Next business day | Email support, 1 production deployment, twice-yearly config review. |
| Business | €1,200 / mo | Same business day | Email + chat, up to 5 deployments, quarterly roadmap call. |
| Enterprise | €3,900 / mo | 4 business hours | Named engineer, unlimited deployments, monthly architecture review. |
| Custom / 24×7 | Let’s talk | Tailored SLA | Pager rotation, on-site, private fork, dedicated team. |
What’s not included in any plan: 24×7 pager rotation is an add-on, not a default. Hosted SkeinDB ships after 1.0. We don’t gate bug fixes or features behind paid tiers.
Sponsor today
If your company already relies on SkeinDB, or is evaluating it, the easiest way to support the project is a monthly sponsorship. Even small recurring amounts make roadmap planning much more predictable.
See support plans & pricing → Contact sales Become a GitHub Sponsor → Donate via PayPal →
For commercial support, training, named research-track sponsorships, or custom engineering, open a contact request or read the full COMMERCIAL.md.