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Licensing

How the Phelix CLI is licensed, in plain language. The binding terms live in LICENSE and TRADEMARK.md; this is a friendly summary.

The short version

Phelix is made of three parts, licensed differently on purpose. The binding terms are in LICENSE and TRADEMARK.md; this page is a plain-language summary, not a substitute.

PartWhat it isHow it's licensed
Phelix CLIThe single binary in the repositorySource-available under FSL-1.1-ALv2 (converts to Apache 2.0 after 2 years)
Dashboard backend & frontendThe service at phelix.anophel.com, including paid featuresProprietary / closed source - not in the repository
"Phelix" name & logoThe brandTrademark of Mohammad Abdorrahmani - see the Trademark policy

The CLI is fully functional offline and for free - build, run, deploy, and roll back need no account and no network. Logging in only adds optional dashboard sync.

What the FSL lets you do

The Functional Source License grants you the right to use, study, modify, and redistribute the CLI for any purpose except a "Competing Use." Two years after each version is released, that version becomes available under the permissive Apache License 2.0.

  • ✅ Read, study, and learn from the source.
  • ✅ Build it yourself and run it for your own apps.
  • ✅ Modify it and self-host it for your own use.
  • ✅ Point the CLI at your own self-hosted backend for your own use.
  • ✅ Fix bugs or add features and contribute them back - see Contributing.
  • ✅ Fork it publicly to propose changes (rename any distributed build - see Trademark policy).
  • ✅ Use it in paid professional services you provide to a client running Phelix.
  • ✅ Use a 2-year-old version under Apache 2.0 - the future-license grant.
  • ❌ Rebrand it and sell it as a competing product - a Competing Use.
  • ❌ Offer a hosted "Phelix-compatible" dashboard or service to others - a Competing Use.
  • ❌ Call your fork "Phelix" or use the logo - trademark.

Why source-available, not "open source"

Classic open source (OSI) licenses cannot restrict competing or commercial use, so they cannot express "free to use and contribute, but not to resell against us." The FSL can, while still giving you almost all the freedoms of open source and converting fully to Apache 2.0 over time. We therefore describe Phelix as source-available / Fair Source, not "open source," to be accurate. See the FSL FAQ and the Fair Source initiative for background.

Relationship to the paid dashboard

The parts of Phelix that are paid live in the dashboard backend, which is closed source and not in the repository. Source-availability of the CLI does not give away those paid features - the CLI is a client. Running your own backend for your own apps is fine; offering one as a competing service to others is a Competing Use.

License, trademark & contributing