# Changes to Elasticsearch™ Licensing [Blog](/blog/)>[Technology](/blog/category/technical/)>Changes to Elasticsearch™ Licensing Changes to Elasticsearch™ Licensing =================================== January 15, 2021 | By [ Ben Bromhead](https://www.instaclustr.com/blog/author/benb/) [ ](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=Changes%20to%20Elasticsearch%E2%84%A2%20Licensing&url=https://www.instaclustr.com/blog/changes-to-elasticsearch-licensing/) [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.instaclustr.com/blog/changes-to-elasticsearch-licensing/&title=&summary=Changes%20to%20Elasticsearch%E2%84%A2%20Licensing&source=) Yesterday, Elastic announced they would moving their “Apache 2.0-licensed source code in Elasticsearch and Kibana to be dual licensed under Server Side Public License (SSPL) and the Elastic License” (read their full announcement [here](https://(https://www.elastic.co/blog/licensing-change)). This change means that components of Elasticsearch or Kibana in subsequent versions (7.11 and onwards) are no longer under an OSI-approved open source license. The decision by Elastic has made us feel somewhat justified in choosing to use Open Distro for Elasticsearch to meet our customers’ requirements. Open Distro is primarily a distribution of the Apache 2.0-licensed source code, rather than an explicit fork. [The broader goal of the](https://opendistro.github.io/for-elasticsearch/faq.html) [project](https://opendistro.github.io/for-elasticsearch/faq.html) “is to ensure that open source Elasticsearch continues to thrive.” This is a goal we wholeheartedly support, and we hope the project continues to do so as well. For our current and future customers, nothing will change for you. Instaclustr will continue to support, manage, and monitor Elasticsearch as well as fix bugs, security issues, develop features, and contribute to upstream Apache 2.0 Elasticsearch. For the broader Elasticsearch contributor community, this is a sad day where the spirit of your contributions to the project are no longer reflected by its governing body. With this in mind, Instaclustr is looking specifically for experienced Elasticsearch contributors who wish to continue working on the technology in an open source-compatible framework. Please reach out to ben-at-instaclustr.com if you are interested. ***January 21 Update:** [AWS has just announced their plan](https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/opensource/stepping-up-for-a-truly-open-source-elasticsearch) to fork Elasticsearch and feed this into OpenDistro. So we are in good company.* ![mail icon]()#### Get the latest articles for open sourceIn your inbox Sign up now ### Related content [ Zero Downtime Migration to Instaclustr Yes, we can migrate existing Cassandra clusters to Instaclustr without any downtime. Here's what to expect from the process... ](https://www.instaclustr.com/blog/zero-downtime-migration-to-instaclustr/) [ Workflow Comparison: Uber Cadence vs Netflix Conductor When choosing what’s right for your company’s opensource workflow needs it is important to know the difference and similarities ... ](https://www.instaclustr.com/blog/workflow-comparison-uber-cadence-vs-netflix-conductor/) [ Will Your Cassandra Database Project Succeed?: The New Stack Open source Apache Cassandra® continues to stand out as an enterprise-proven solution for organizations seeking high availability... ](https://www.instaclustr.com/blog/will-your-cassandra-database-project-succeed-the-new-stack/) ×Sign upto ourNewsletter -----------------------