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Licensing

When Open Source Isn't Truly Open​

While many tools claim to be open source, their usefulness is limited if the actual execution engine remains locked behind proprietary runtimes or tightly controlled SaaS platforms. True openness requires more than just readable code, it means giving teams the freedom to run, schedule, and scale pipelines on their own terms.
Unlike other frameworks that rely on closed, self-managed orchestrators, Starlake integrates natively with standard open orchestrators like Apache Airflow, Dagster, AWS Managed Workflows, and Google Cloud Composer. You can even plug in any orchestrator as long as you write the required orchestration templates.
This gives you full control over your infrastructure, compliance, cost, and cloud strategy all while remaining truly open.

Licensing at Starlake

At Starlake, we balance the best of both worlds: the transparency and community of open source, and the sustainability and innovation of a commercial platform.

We offer two licensing models:

  • Starlake CLI: Open Source under Apache 2.0. Starlake CLI is the core engine that powers all Starlake components, allowing you to build and run data pipelines with full freedom.
  • Starlake Copilot: Open Source under Apache 2.0. Starlake Copilot is the AI assistant that helps you build and manage your data pipelines using natural language prompts.
  • Starlake Cockpit: Source-available under Elastic License. Starlake Cockpit provides a user-friendly interface for managing and monitoring your data pipelines.

Starlake CLI & Copilot - Open Source (Apache 2.0)​

Starlake - the declarative data pipeline engine behind all Starlake components - is licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, allowing:

  • CLI and SDK usage

  • VSCode integration

  • MCP Server Support

  • Full access to source code

  • Commercial and non-commercial usage

  • Forking, modifying, and redistribution

✅ You are free to:

  • Use it in production
  • Embed it in your internal or customer projects
  • Contribute improvements to the open community

This ensures your pipelines are powered by an open, auditable, and portable engine - with no license fees or lock-in.

Starlake Cockpit - Elastic License​

Starlake Cockpit, essentially the Web UI, is released under the Elastic License 2.0 (ELv2).

This model ensures we can sustainably grow and maintain advanced features while keeping the platform accessible.

✅ What you can do:

  • Use it freely inside your organization
  • Build and deliver solutions to your customers using Starlake Cockpit
  • Include it as part of consulting or deployment work

🚫 What is not allowed:

  • Offering the Starlake Cockpit as a managed or hosted service to third parties
  • Reselling the API
  • Creating a competing commercial SaaS

In short: you can use it freely - even commercially - to serve clients. Just not as a hosted product offering.

Summary Table​

FeatureStarlake CLI (Apache 2.0)Starlake Cockpit (Elastic License)
License TypeOpen SourceSource-available, usage-restricted
Can use in production✅ Yes✅ Yes
Build solutions for customers✅ Yes✅ Yes (non-hosted)
Commercial redistribution✅ Allowed❌ Not allowed
Host as a service✅ Yes❌ Not allowed
Modify and contribute✅ Yes✅ Yes
VS Code extension✅ Yes✅ Yes
MCP Server✅ Yes✅ Yes
Cost (internal & consulting use)FreeFree

Supporting Sustainability​

Our dual license approach ensures:

  • Open collaboration and transparency remain at the core
  • Commercial users get advanced tools and support
  • Revenue supports ongoing innovation, maintenance, and enterprise reliability

This model allows us to offer long-term value, rapid innovation, and community alignment without compromising on openness.

💬 Questions?​

We’d love to hear from you.
Ask us anything on Slack, GitHub, or via [email protected]