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MongoDB licensing

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This article covers the Server Side Public License for MongoDB Community Server, Enterprise Advanced subscriptions under the MongoDB Customer Agreement, and MongoDB Atlas consumption billing. It is not legal advice. An executed Order Form controls over the published agreements.

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MongoDB licensing covers three distinct ways of obtaining the MongoDB database. MongoDB Community Server is distributed under the Server Side Public License (SSPL), a license MongoDB introduced in 2018, for all releases and patch releases from 2018-10-16; earlier releases remain under the GNU AGPL v3.0.[3] MongoDB Enterprise Advanced is a commercial subscription under the MongoDB Customer Agreement, licensed on the number of Servers stated on the Order Form.[5] MongoDB Atlas is a cloud service governed by the MongoDB Cloud Terms of Service and billed by the hour or against purchased credits.[8][9]

Editions

Offering License basis Where it runs 
Community Server SSPL for releases from 2018-10-16; AGPL v3.0 before that date[3] Self-managed 
Enterprise Advanced Commercial license under the Customer Agreement, per Server[5] Self-managed (on-premises, private or hybrid cloud)[6] 
Enterprise software, free evaluation Royalty-free evaluation and development license[5] Internal, non-production 
MongoDB Atlas Cloud Terms of Service; Free, Flex and Dedicated tiers[7][8] MongoDB-operated on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud 

MongoDB states that an Enterprise Advanced subscription “includes a commercial license for MongoDB Enterprise Server”, which adds capabilities unavailable in Community Edition such as the in-memory storage engine, auditing and Kerberos authentication for self-managed deployments.[6] The Customer Agreement defines the licensed Software as the MongoDB Enterprise database software, Ops Manager, MongoDB Charts, the Connector for Business Intelligence and other software included with a Subscription, excluding beta offerings and open source components.[5] MongoDB-supported drivers are licensed under the Apache License v2.0 and documentation under Creative Commons.[3]

Community Server license history

MongoDB announced the SSPL on 2018-10-16. Before that, Community Server was licensed under the GNU AGPLv3; MongoDB said that some organizations had tested the boundaries of the AGPL and that it had submitted the SSPL to the Open Source Initiative for approval.[4] The SSPL FAQ states that the license is based on GPL version 3, that its only substantive modification is section 13, and that it “has not been approved by the OSI”; MongoDB software under the SSPL “is not considered open source by the OSI”.[2] MongoDB’s stated aim is to require that enhancements to MongoDB be released to the community; organizations whose legal departments do not accept the SSPL are pointed to commercial licenses with Enterprise Advanced.[3]

Releases before 2018-10-16 remain governed by the AGPL,[2] whose section 13 requires a modified version to offer users interacting with it over a network the Corresponding Source of that version.[12] The general treatment of copyleft obligations is in License compliance and Software license.

Metrics

MongoDB’s published documents name three countable units. Definitions live on the catalog rows.

MongoDB name Catalog row Applies to Source 
Server Server Enterprise Advanced Customer Agreement §1[5] 
Server hours Server hours (Atlas clusters) Atlas clusters Manage Billing[9] 
Credits Atlas subscription credits Atlas subscriptions Manage Subscriptions[10] 

The Customer Agreement defines a Server as “a virtual machine or container that stores data up to the amount of RAM specified on an applicable Order Form”.[5] The published agreement does not fix the RAM size; it is a term of each Order Form.

Counting / floors

Enterprise Advanced, per Server (Customer Agreement, June 2021). The license covers use “on the number of Servers stated on the Order Form”, and the customer “will cover each Server used by an application with an Enterprise Advanced Subscription”. Using the Software on more Servers than licensed is prohibited, as is any use intended to avoid fees or exceed usage limits.[5] Catalog: Enterprise Advanced: cover each Server used by an application.

Covered applications only. Support, Ops Manager, Cloud Manager, MongoDB Charts and the BI Connector may not be used with an application that is not covered by an Enterprise Advanced Subscription. The Software may be used with an application available to end customers “as long as they cannot access the Software directly”.[5] Catalog: Enterprise Advanced: no direct end-customer access; tools only with covered applications.

Evaluation is not production (June 2021). The free evaluation and development license excludes testing, quality assurance and production use without an Enterprise Advanced Subscription.[5] Catalog: Free evaluation license excludes testing, QA and production.

Verification (June 2021). During the Agreement and for one year after termination, MongoDB may inspect records relating to use of the Software; on termination the Software must be removed from all Servers covered by the terminated Subscriptions.[5] Catalog: Enterprise Advanced: records inspection during term and one year after. See Software license audit.

Atlas hourly charging (as of 2026-09-26). Atlas charges by the hour for clusters, charges for usage of Flex clusters and tabulates costs daily; invoice Usage Details show the quantity of server hours and the SKU rate.[9] Each cluster tier’s per-hour charge includes its default RAM, storage capacity and storage speed; custom storage capacity is charged for the full amount.[11] Catalog: Atlas charges clusters by the hour and tabulates costs daily.

Atlas commitments (as of 2026-09-26). Under a Monthly Commitment subscription, a month with usage below the prorated commitment is charged at the prorated commitment. Under a Flex Commitment subscription, unused credits are charged in the last month of the term.[10] Catalog: Atlas commitment subscriptions: prorated monthly minimum and end-of-term charge for unused credits.

Atlas Support minimum (2026-01-15). Each registration for Support obliges the customer to pay for at least 30 days.[8] Catalog: Atlas Support: minimum 30 days per registration.

Virtualization & partitioning

The Customer Agreement’s Server is itself a virtual machine or container bounded by RAM on the Order Form.[5] MongoDB publishes no rules on physical hosts, cores, hard or soft partitioning, or clustering for Enterprise Advanced; anything beyond the Server definition is a matter for the Order Form.

Cloud / BYOL

SSPL section 13, offering MongoDB as a service (2018-10-16). Anyone who makes the functionality of the Program or a modified version available to third parties as a service must make the Service Source Code available “via network download to everyone at no charge, under the terms of this License”.[1] Service Source Code includes the source for all programs used to make the service available, “including, without limitation, management software, user interfaces, application program interfaces, automation software, monitoring software, backup software, storage software and hosting software”.[1] Catalog: SSPL §13: offering the Program as a service requires releasing Service Source Code.

MongoDB’s FAQ narrows the trigger in three statements. Providing MongoDB as a service internally or to subsidiaries is not making it available to a third party (SSPL §13 does not apply to internal-only MongoDB as a service). There is no copyleft condition for SaaS applications that use MongoDB as a database (No SSPL copyleft condition for SaaS applications that use MongoDB as a database). Any publicly available MongoDB-as-a-service offering using a release from 2018-10-16 must comply with the SSPL.[2]

Atlas. MongoDB states that Atlas users “do not run the MongoDB database and do not become licensees of the MongoDB database software”.[2] Atlas use is governed by the Cloud Terms of Service, which prohibit reselling or sublicensing the Cloud Services and using them “in connection with any derivative work of the MongoDB database”.[8] Catalog: Atlas users are not licensees of the MongoDB database software, Atlas Cloud Terms: no resale and no use with a derivative work of the MongoDB database.

MongoDB publishes no bring-your-own-license program for moving Enterprise Advanced entitlements onto Atlas. The general pattern is in Cloud BYOL.

Programs

Program Catalog row Terms 
Enterprise Advanced Subscription Enterprise Advanced Subscription Per Server on the Order Form; non-refundable; no termination for convenience[5] 
Free Evaluation and Development license Free Evaluation and Development license Internal evaluation and development only; AS-IS[5] 
Atlas pay-as-you-go MongoDB Atlas pay-as-you-go Clusters billed hourly with monthly invoices[7] 
Atlas Flex Commitment Atlas Flex Commitment subscription Credits committed for a term; monthly invoice for usage; unused credits charged in the last month[10] 
Atlas Monthly Commitment Atlas Monthly Commitment subscription Greater of usage or prorated monthly commitment[10] 
Atlas Prepaid Atlas Prepaid subscription Prepaid credits for a defined term[10] 
Atlas Elastic (Elastic Billing) Atlas Elastic subscription (Elastic Billing) Monthly invoice for usage[10] 
Atlas Marketplace Atlas Marketplace subscription Invoiced through the marketplace used to subscribe[10] 

Atlas subscriptions come with order forms and an Enterprise Customer Service Agreement. If no activation code is applied within the first 30 days of use, MongoDB charges the credit card on the account.[10] The pricing page lists Atlas Free at $0/hour, Flex at $0.011/hour up to $30/month, and Dedicated from $0.08/hour (starting at $56.94/month). Enterprise Advanced has no published price; buyers are directed to sales.[7] For the consumption model in general see Subscription and consumption licensing.

Out of scope

  • Enterprise Advanced list prices, RAM sizes per Server and discounts, none of which MongoDB publishes.
  • The OEM Agreement, Reseller Agreement and archived agreement versions.
  • Atlas add-on service rates (Search, Vector Search, Stream Processing, Data Federation, Online Archive) and region-specific cluster prices.
  • MongoDB Atlas for Government.
  • Enterprise Advanced add-ons (Search and Vector Search, Named Technical Support Engineers, Extended Lifecycle Support), which are listed without published terms.

Catalog rows

References

  1. Server Side Public License (SSPL), Version 1VERSION 1, OCTOBER 16, 2018. §13 Offering the Program as a ServiceEffective 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
  2. Server Side Public License FAQUndated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  3. MongoDB LicensingServer, drivers and documentation licenses; Licensing Policy. Undated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  4. MongoDB Issues New Server Side Public License for MongoDB Community ServerVendor press releaseEffective 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
  5. MongoDB Customer Agreement (June 2021)Server definition (§1); Free Evaluation and Development (§2(b)); Enterprise Advanced Subscription (§2(c)); restrictions (§4); inspection (§11)Effective 2021-06-01. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
  6. MongoDB Enterprise AdvancedProduct page FAQ. Undated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  7. MongoDB PricingAtlas Free, Flex and Dedicated prices; Enterprise Advanced inclusions. Undated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  8. MongoDB Cloud Terms of ServiceLast updated January 15, 2026Effective 2026-01-15. Retrieved 2026-09-26.
  9. Atlas documentation: Manage BillingUndated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  10. Atlas documentation: Manage SubscriptionsSubscription Types table. Undated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  11. Atlas documentation: Cluster Configuration CostsUndated pageRetrieved 2026-09-26.
  12. GNU Affero General Public License version 3 (text hosted by the Open Source Initiative)License text only; §13 Remote Network InteractionRetrieved 2026-09-26.

See also

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