Why Dual Licensing?

Open-source software powers the modern world. Yet the developers who create and maintain this critical infrastructure often struggle to sustain their work. Dual licensing offers a path to sustainability that preserves open-source principles.

The Open-Source Sustainability Problem

The current state of open-source funding is broken:

The value gap: Companies generate billions in revenue from products built on open-source software. The developers who create that software often receive little or nothing in return.

The maintainer burden: Popular open-source projects require ongoing maintenance, security updates, documentation, and community support. This work is rarely compensated.

The burnout cycle: Without sustainable funding, maintainers burn out, projects go unmaintained, and the entire software ecosystem suffers.

Why Existing Models Fall Short

Permissive licenses (MIT, BSD, Apache)

• Allow unrestricted commercial use
• No obligation for commercial users to contribute back
• Great for adoption, but no built-in sustainability mechanism

Copyleft licenses (GPL, AGPL)

• Require derivative works to be open-sourced
• Many businesses simply avoid copyleft-licensed code
• Limits adoption without generating revenue

Donations and sponsorships

• Unpredictable and rarely sufficient
• Depend on goodwill rather than value exchange
• Don't scale with the value being created

Open-core models

• Require maintaining two versions (open and proprietary)
• Can create tension between community and commercial interests
• Complexity of deciding what goes where

The Dual Licensing Advantage

Dual licensing aligns incentives correctly:

For developers:

• Earn revenue proportional to commercial value created
• Maintain full open-source availability
• No need to maintain separate codebases
• Clear, automated licensing process

For open-source users:

• Full access under the open-source license
• No change to their workflow
• Benefit from better-maintained software

For commercial users:

• Clear path to legitimate proprietary use
• Professional licensing with clear terms
• Support sustainable open-source development
• Avoid copyleft compliance complexity

Why Developers Haven't Adopted Dual Licensing

If dual licensing is such a good solution, why don't more developers use it?

Legal complexity: Drafting commercial license terms requires legal expertise most developers don't have and can't afford.

Payment infrastructure: Setting up payment processing, managing subscriptions, and handling international transactions is a significant undertaking.

Administrative overhead: Tracking licenses, managing renewals, handling support requests, and maintaining documentation takes time away from development.

Negotiation fatigue: Dealing with individual license negotiations with enterprise customers is exhausting.

It's easier to do nothing: Given all these hurdles, most developers choose the path of least resistance—even if it means leaving money on the table.

How CodeLibra Removes the Hurdles

CodeLibra was built to eliminate every barrier to dual licensing:

Zero legal complexity

• Standard commercial license terms (the CodeLibra License)
• No lawyers needed
• Clear, fair terms for both developers and licensees

Zero payment hassle

• Built-in payment processing
• Automatic subscription management
• International support
• Commission-only model (we only earn when you do)

Zero administrative burden

• Automated license generation and delivery
• Self-service license verification for customers
• Integrated with your GitHub repository

Zero negotiation

• Published prices, standard terms
• Customers can purchase instantly
• No back-and-forth required

Automatic dependency handling

• When your module uses other CodeLibra modules, revenue is automatically shared
• No manual coordination with upstream developers
• Fair compensation throughout the dependency chain

The Economic Case

Consider a module that provides $500/year in value to a commercial user:

Multiply this across multiple licensees, and dual licensing can transform a side project into a sustainable income stream—or supplement your existing income significantly.

Preserving Open-Source Values

Some developers worry that dual licensing somehow compromises open-source principles. It doesn't:

• The code remains open: Anyone can access, use, modify, and distribute under the open-source license
• The community isn't restricted: Open-source users have exactly the same rights as before
• Contributions flow back: Improvements can still be contributed to the project
• Sustainability serves everyone: A well-funded project is better maintained, more secure, and more reliable

Dual licensing adds a commercial option; it doesn't take away the open-source option.

Getting Started

Ready to explore dual licensing for your project?

1. Evaluate your module: Does it provide value to commercial users? Is it something businesses would use in proprietary products?

2. Choose your model: Classic dual licensing (copyleft + commercial) or voluntary (permissive + commercial)?

3. Set up on CodeLibra: Connect your repository, configure your licensing options, and set your price

4. Let it work: CodeLibra handles the rest—licensing, payments, and administration

Next Steps

• Getting Started for Developers — Set up your first module
• Setting Prices — Pricing strategies and guidance
• What is Dual Licensing? — Understand the fundamentals