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Re: Licence question: using AGPL and Odoo proprietary modules on the same server

Re: Licence question: using AGPL and Odoo proprietary modules on the same server

Re: Licence question: using AGPL and Odoo proprietary modules on the same server

I think the people complaining about the AGPL making it difficult to make private, closed source, modules, do not understand or accept a thing about free software.


Of course if companies do not mind paying extravagant license fees, for software where they have no insight in the code, let alone study or modify the code, where they will become dependent on the suppliers of their software, where if they ever want to migrate or export data, they have to beg their present suppliers for access, by all means let them go for the Apple/Microsoft way.


The whole idea of AGPL is to build a community of suppliers, users, even end-users, sharing development, making life easier (and more affordable) for everyone, and where there is no support or possibility of hidden back-doors, vendor lock-in etc.


If the OCA where to go for default LGPL or dual licensing, it would be the end of the OCA, as an organization that stands for free and open software.


Kind regards, Ronald


On 08-09-2025 15:32, Pedro M. Baeza wrote:
Raphaël, indeed both points are correct, but referring to the first one, let me point that sending the message from OCA board members that the "good" license to choose is LGPL will make people that are not informed/don't think on the consequences/don't care to go to that one, destroying great part of the current OCA ecosystem value. I would only do the exception on the website one that touches frontend templates, for being able to protect your customer in case of website custom theme.

Ivan, please read my previous reasoning why base/tool modules shouldn't be LGPL, because if so, the modules of the second type will start to disappear.

Regards.

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by Ronald Portier - 03:45 - 8 Sep 2025

Reference

  • Licence question: using AGPL and Odoo proprietary modules on the same server
    Hi,

    After years of only working on Odoo community, we are starting to have several enterprise clients.

    The OCA website at https://odoo-community.org/resources/faq indicates:

    Can I run OCA AGPL modules and closed source modules on the same instance?
    Yes, as long as closed source modules do not depend on AGPL ones and respect the license of its dependencies defined in the “depends” key of its manifest file (and vice versa).


    Will we be able to use AGPL modules and paid ones?

    Odoo projects will be able to use AGPL modules or paid modules under proprietary licenses, but it is not possible to combine both. Combining LGLPv3 modules and proprietary modules is fine however, so we encourage current owners licensing under AGPL to move to LGPLv3 too, in order to avoid complications for end users.

    My CEO believes that this using both AGPL and proprietary modules, even if they do not have dependencies, is not allowed by the AGPL license.
    I’ve searched a bit on the mailing list (that started in 2015) but I have not found no discussion on the subject.
    On what basis does the OCA position comes from?

    Regards,
    --
    Vincent Hatakeyama
    Directeur du pôle développement " Orbeet
    Tel +33 1 83 62 72 88 Email vincent.hatakeyama@orbeet.io
    Adresse 27, boulevard Saint-Martin
    75003 Paris         		Site web https://orbeet.io
    Image bannière
    by "Vincent Hatakeyama" <vincent.hatakeyama@orbeet.io> - 10:36 - 8 Sep 2025