Oracle MySQL – Free vs.

commercial
Author: Andra Tarata
Do you want to understand why you need a license to make use of MySQL? Or what license types are
available and which specific editions of the MySQL software suit your needs? The next sections explain in
detail all the insights and requirements for the different types of MySQL licenses.
ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Contents
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 3
Open source MySQL requires a license? ....................................................................................... 4
Commercial MySQL – Different licensing models? ........................................................................ 5
Commercial MySQL different editions ........................................................................................... 7
Commercial MySQL - what does it cost? .................................................................................... 10
Commercial or open source MySQL – How do I find out what I am using? ................................ 12
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 13

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Introduction
MySQL is an open-source relational database management system, developed in 1995 in Sweden. The
name “MySQL” is a combination of the first name of the daughter of one of the founders of the database
management system (“My”) and the abbreviation of Structured Query Language (“SQL”).

In 2008, Sun Microsystems acquired MySQL as a stepping stone to enter into the database market. In
2010, Oracle Corporation acquired Sun Microsystems to enrich its portfolio with hardware (the fundament
of Oracle’s current Systems business unit), Java and - to a smaller extend - to incorporate the existing
MySQL market.

Today, MySQL software programs are both available through the open source (or General Public License)
licensing model and through a commercial licensing model. As part of the commercial licensing model,
Oracle allows independent software vendors (ISVs) and value added resellers (VARs) to distribute the
MySQL software programs embedded in their own software applications/solutions and end users to obtain
a subscription license to use MySQL for their internal business operations.

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Open source MySQL requires a

license?
The deployment and usage of the MySQL software programs under the open source or GPL license model
means that the user is free to use the programs, change the programs and redistribute the programs with
or without changes. The source code of the software is open and can be adjusted and/or changed up to
the likings of the end user. Any changes that are made to the source code must however be made publically
available to all other end users of the open source MySQL software programs. End users or solution
providers that wish to distribute or use the GPL version of the MySQL version should comply to the GPL
terms and conditions (available here) and must pass on the same freedom as they have received under the
GPL license model. As a result, a lot of people are in favor of the open source licensing model of MySQL.

Nevertheless, end user organizations that do not want to share the source code of their solutions built upon
MySQL (e.g. because of competition reasons) or end users that do not want to rely upon community boards
for support on technical issues (e.g. since the solution that has been built upon MySQL is rather business
critical) typically would want to obtain a commercial subscription license for the MySQL software programs.

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Commercial MySQL – Different

licensing models?
To address the concerns that end user organizations may have with regards to the Open Source licensing
model as listed in the previous section, different licensing types of the commercial MySQL software
programs are available, including:
- Subscription Licenses
- Application Specific Full Use License (ASFU) licenses
- Embedded Software License (ESL)

Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), Value Added Resellers
(VARs) and other distributors that combine and distribute commercially licensed software with MySQL
software, usually do not wish to distribute the source code for competition purposes and do want to provide
continuous technical support for their solution; as such they typically want to make sure that the usage of
MySQL is covered by a commercial license agreement with Oracle.

Subscription licenses
Under this licensing model, end user organizations can obtain a commercial version of the MySQL software.
These licenses can only be obtained from Oracle directly or from an authorized Oracle reseller.

The licensing is based upon a subscription model in which the MySQL software programs can only be used
for the internal business operations of the organization in conjunction with any application. If and when the
term of the subscription expires, end users either need to renew their subscription or they need to un-install
the MySQL software.

Application Specific Full Use (ASFU) licenses

Under this licensing model, an end user organization can obtain a commercial version of the MySQL
software. These licenses can only be obtained from an Oracle partner that has developed its specific
commercial application on a MySQL database platform and has entered into a so called ASFU Distribution
Agreement; an agreement with Oracle that allows the Oracle partner to distribute the MySQL software in
conjunction with the specific application.

The licensing is typically based upon a perpetual model in which the MySQL software programs can only
be used for the internal business operations of the organization in conjunction with the specific application.
Use of the MySQL software for any other application is not allowed.

5
Embedded Software Licenses (ESL)
Under this licensing model, end user organizations often do not even know that the MySQL software is part
of the solution that has been obtained through an independent solution provider; the MySQL software is
embedded in the device or the solution itself and as such the end user does not have (the right to) access
the MySQL software directly. Any and all access to the MySQL software is required to be done through the
device/solution itself.

Embedded software licenses are typically sold on a perpetual basis. They are the most restrictive (and as
such cheapest) software licenses and can only be used in conjunction with the specific device/solution
where the SQL server programs are embedded in.

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Commercial MySQL different editions

To facilitate the different business requirements that end user organizations and/or solution providers have,
Oracle made several different editions of the MySQL software programs available. As for any Oracle
program, every edition of the software program includes different features. It is therefore important to
understand what specific features are needed for your specific business requirements. The below provides
an overview of the features that are part of the different available editions of the MySQL software programs:

MySQL Classic Edition includes the following features:

- MySQL Database Server
- MySQL Connectors
- MySQL Replication
- Storage Engine: MyISAM

MySQL Standard Edition includes the following features:

- MySQL Database Server
- MySQL Connectors
- MySQL Replication
- MySQL Workbench
- Storage Engine: MyISAM
- Storage Engine: InnoDB

MySQL Enterprise Edition includes the following features:

- MySQL Database Server
- MySQL Storage Engines (InnoDB, MyISAM, etc.)
- MySQL Connectors (JDBC, ODBC, .Net, etc.)
- MySQL Replication
- MySQL Fabric
- MySQL Partitioning
- MySQL Utilities
- MySQL Workbench
- MySQL Enterprise Backup
- MySQL Enterprise Monitor
- MySQL Enterprise HA
- MySQL Enterprise Scalability
- MySQL Enterprise Security
- MySQL Enterprise Audit

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

MySQL Classic, Standard and Enterprise Edition perpetual licenses are only available for distribution by
independent solution providers/partners from Oracle Corporation that entered into an Application Specific
Full Use (ASFU) Program Distribution Agreement or Embedded Software License (ESL) Distribution
Agreement with Oracle. Full Use licenses for these MySQL editions can NOT be obtained through Oracle
Corporation or any of its resellers.

MySQL Community Edition is the freely downloadable version, available under the open source General
Public License (GPL) and is supported by a wide community of open source developers. The MySQL
Community Edition includes pluggable storage engine architecture and multiple storage engines, such as:
- InnoDB
- MyISAM
- NDB (MySQL Cluster)
- Memory
- Merge
- Archive
- CSV
- and more

It also includes the following features:

- MySQL Database Server
- MySQL Connectors (JDBC, ODBC, .Net, etc.)
- MySQL Replication
- MySQL Fabric
- MySQL Partitioning
- MySQL Utilities
- MySQL Workbench

MySQL Cluster CGE (Carrier Grade Edition) includes tools for management, monitoring security and
auditing of the MySQL Cluster database, coupled with access to Oracle Premier Support. It includes the
following features:
- MySQL Cluster
- MySQL Cluster Manager
- MySQL Enterprise Backup
- MySQL Enterprise Monitor
- MySQL Workbench Standard Edition

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

The table below provides an overview of the main features of each MySQL edition:

Features MySQL Editions

Classic Standard Enterprise Cluster CGE

MySQL Database Server ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔

MySQL Connectors
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
MySQL Replication
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
MySQL Fabric
✔ ✔
MySQL Router
✔ ✔
MySQL Partitioning
✔ ✔
MySQL Utilities
✔ ✔
MySQL Workbench
✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
Storage Engine: MyISAM
✔ ✔ ✔
Storage Engine: InnoDB
✔ ✔ ✔
Storage Engine: NDB
✔
Oracle Enterprise Manager for MySQL
✔ ✔
MySQL Enterprise Monitor
✔ ✔
MySQL Enterprise Backup
✔ ✔
MySQL Enterprise Security
✔ ✔
MySQL Enterprise Scalability
✔ ✔
MySQL Enterprise High Availability
✔ ✔
MySQL Cluster Manager
✔
MySQL Cluster Geo-Replication
✔
Oracle Products Certification
✔ ✔ ✔

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Commercial MySQL - what does it

cost?
As per the previous section, MySQL Classic, Standard and Enterprise Edition licenses are perpetual and
only available for distribution by Oracle partners that entered into an Application Specific Full Use (ASFU)
Program Distribution Agreement or Embedded Software License (ESL) Distribution Agreement with
Oracle Corporation. These perpetual licenses are NOT available to be sold or distributed as full use licenses
by Oracle direct sales representatives nor by Oracle partners pursuant to a Full Use Distribution Agreement.
The specific pricing for these MySQL editions is therefore depending on the pricing applied by the individual
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).

MySQL Cluster Carrier Grade Edition licenses are perpetual and available for distribution by Oracle
partners that entered into an Application Specific Full Use (ASFU) Program Distribution
Agreement or Embedded Software License (ESL) Distribution Agreement with Oracle Corporation and
in addition, perpetual licenses can be obtained from Oracle directly.

In terms of pricing, the MySQL Perpetual licenses can be acquired from Oracle against the following fees:

Software Update
MySQL Perpetual License License Price Metric
License & Support
MySQL Classic Edition (1-4 socket server) $1,800 $396.00 Server
MySQL Classic Edition (5+ socket server) $3,600 $792.00 Server
MySQL Standard Edition (1-4 socket server) $6,000 $1,320.00 Server
MySQL Standard Edition (5+ socket server) $12,000 $2,640.00 Server
MySQL Enterprise Edition (1-4 socket server) $15,000 $3,300.00 Server
MySQL Enterprise Edition (5+ socket server) $30,000 $6,600.00 Server
MySQL Cluster Carrier Grade Edition (1-4 socket server) $30,000 $6,600.00 Server
MySQL Cluster Carrier Grade Edition (5+ socket server) $60,000 $13,200.00 Server

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

The MySQL products sold on a Subscription basis can be acquired from Oracle against the following fees:

Annual Subscription
MySQL Subscription Subscription Metric
Price
MySQL Standard Edition Subscription (1-4 socket server) $2,000 Server
MySQL Standard Edition Subscription (5+ socket server) $4,000 Server
MySQL Enterprise Edition Subscription (1-4 socket server) $5,000 Server
MySQL Enterprise Edition Subscription (5+ socket server) $10,000 Server
MySQL Cluster Carrier Grade Edition Subscription (1-4 socket
$10,000 Server
server)
MySQL Cluster Carrier Grade Edition Subscription (5+ socket
$20,000 Server
server)

All MySQL licenses are currently licensed on a Server basis; server being defined as the computer on which
the programs are installed. A Server license allows the end user to use the licensed program on a single
specified computer.

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Commercial or open source MySQL –

How do I find out what I am using?
To find out if you are deploying the open source version of the MySQL software or if you are using a
commercial version of the MySQL software is rather simple. Ask your database administrator to connect
to the MySQL database instance and run the following command:

“SELECT @@ license”

The result of this query will provide an output which will indicate if the MySQL instance is a Community
Edition (so called GPL – General Public License) installation or if the MySQL instance is a commercial
edition.

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

Conclusion
Although the majority of MySQL software programs are deployed under the open source licensing model
“GPL”, end users should be aware of the fact that a commercial edition of the MySQL software programs
can be deployed as well. In addition, understanding the different licensing models that are available,
understanding the different features that are part of the different MySQL editions and understanding the
different pricing models related to these MySQL editions is the first step.

Validating on a regular basis if and what specific editions of the MySQL software programs are deployed
(commercial vs open source) is the second step. Reconciling the two on a regular basis will be the last
step, to stay in control and to avoid and potentially save costs.

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ORACLE MYSQL – FREE VS. COMMERCIAL

About the author: Andra Tarata, Licensing Specialist

"Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among stars!"- Les Brown
Andra has been working in the Software Licensing industry for the last 8 years, analyzing and understanding
licensing business practices & product development from multiple software vendors and helping clients to
better manage their software entitlements. Andra leverages her experiences of working within Oracle’s
License Management Services team to educate, equip and enable end-users to understand their enterprise
software license entitlements. Andra holds a bachelor degree in Project Management from the National
School of Political and Administrative Studies of Bucharest.

Contact Andra: andra.tarata@b-lay.com

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