dbt open source and product licensing describes the terms that apply when a customer downloads dbt and runs it on its own infrastructure. dbt Labs maintains three kinds of software and uses different licences for each: the Apache 2.0 licence, the dbt Product Licensing Agreement, and other commercial terms of service for the hosted dbt platform.[1]
The distributions
| Distribution | What it is | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| dbt Core v1.x | The Python implementation | Apache 2.0 |
| dbt OSS | The Apache 2.0 subset of dbt v2, built from the Rust source in the repository | Apache 2.0 |
| dbt | Full v2 distribution, with proprietary components such as SQL comprehension and the interface to dbt platform features | dbt Product Licensing Agreement |
| dbt VS Code extension | Editor integration and language server | dbt Product Licensing Agreement (since 2026-09-15) |
The licensing documentation says dbt v2 is available through “two distributions: dbt v2 and dbt OSS”, that dbt v2 builds on dbt OSS “with additional proprietary capabilities”, and that v1 remains fully available and Apache 2.0.[2] The FAQ adds that dbt OSS contains the same code previously published as dbt Core 2.0, and that “dbt Core 1.13 will continue to receive critical support” beyond the normal one-year window, with a window expected to be three to five years.[1] dbt Labs recommends the full dbt distribution for most users, with the strict open-source package suited to organisations whose licence policy requires an open-source distribution or that build on the source.[2]
Apache 2.0 software
The dbt OSS repository states that its source code “is available to everyone under the standard Apache 2.0 license” and that the dbt distribution adds customisations released under a dbt product licence.[4] Apache 2.0 permits anyone to use, copy, redistribute or modify the software without warranty or conditions beyond preserving notices, attribution and trademarks.[1] The licence file is the standard Apache License 2.0 of January 2004.[5] Contributions require signing dbt Labs’ Contributor License Agreement, and contributions to the repository apply to both distributions.[1]
The combined Fivetran and dbt Labs company states that it “will continue maintaining” dbt OSS under Apache 2 “indefinitely”.[1] That is a stated intention, not a contract term. MetricFlow, the engine behind the Semantic Layer, moved from the Business Source License to Apache 2.0 in October 2025.[1]
The dbt Product Licensing Agreement
Scope and grant
The agreement is between dbt Labs, LLC and the party using dbt and the VS Code extension, and it applies from the first download or use. An organisation accepting it represents that it has authority to bind the organisation.[3] The provider grants a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable licence to download, install, run and use the products and, where applicable, to redistribute them subject to the restrictions.[3]
Restrictions
The user may not reverse engineer or derive source code, interfere with or circumvent access controls (including gating, licence or entitlement validation, user login, or interactions with the dbt platform), remove proprietary notices, or break applicable law. The provider may terminate for uncured material breach after 30 days, or immediately if the breach cannot be cured.[3] The FAQ summarises that a user can “do almost anything with the software”, except obstructing platform login for redistributed use, circumventing login, deriving proprietary source or obscuring licence notices.[1]
Data collection and liability
The products may send information about the user and their use to dbt Labs, which can be restricted in some scenarios through the networking settings in the documentation.[3] Total provider liability is capped at USD 10.00. The agreement is governed by California law with courts in San Francisco.[3]
Redistribution
Section 4 applies if a user makes the product available to end users, for example by embedding it in a product. The user must preserve the end user’s ability to access dbt Labs’ products, platform features, account creation and login and support, must not block telemetry or communication between dbt Labs and end users, and may not share its own login credentials with end users.[3]
The FAQ gives use cases:
- Internal use of the full dbt, including to deliver transformed data to customers, is permitted without restriction.[1]
- Consultants who set up standalone deployments clients can control are not redistributing.[1]
- A general-purpose data preparation product that runs dbt for customers without exposing the dbt platform login is not permitted with the proprietary dbt, although the same product may use dbt OSS freely.[1]
- Managed hosting by third parties is allowed if they do not stop users from logging in and enabling premium features.[1]
- Air-gapped or telemetry-disabled internal deployments are permitted, because the redistribution restrictions only apply to those providing dbt to third parties.[1]
No login, no user cap
dbt Labs says the full dbt is free for any number of users, that all engine features, including SQL comprehension and the language server, work without logging in, and that the earlier 15-user cap on the VS Code extension no longer applies.[1] A free login or a paid dbt platform account unlocks some additional features but is not required.[2]
Historical ELv2 position
The archived Fusion monorepo shows how the earlier model worked. Most of its folders were under the Elastic License 2.0, with five crates under Apache 2.0.[6] ELv2 barred offering the software to third parties as a hosted or managed service giving access to a substantial set of its features, and barred circumventing licence-key functionality.[6] dbt Labs explains that ELv2 is intended to prevent competing hosted deployments, and that this was no longer a priority once both distributions were built on one Apache-licensed engine.[1] The merger announcement of 1 June 2026 describes the release of the Fusion runtime as dbt Core v2.0 under Apache 2.0.[7] Customers who deployed Fusion binaries while the ELv2 terms applied should verify which terms their installed version carried.
Software asset management points
- Record which of the four distributions is installed on laptops, build servers and containers, and which licence file ships with each.
- For the proprietary binary, note the acceptance trigger (first download or use) and the telemetry setting.
- Flag any product that embeds the proprietary dbt for third parties or hosts it as a service, and review it against the redistribution section.
- Treat the stated commitment to Apache 2.0 for dbt OSS as an intention that could be revisited, and keep a fallback of dbt Core v1.x or the Apache source.
Out of scope
Trademark and brand guidelines, adapter-specific licences, third-party package licences on dbt Hub, and the terms of the hosted dbt platform are not covered here.