# Affero General Public License (AGPL) The GNU Affero General Public License (AGPL) is a copyleft license that extends the [[GNU General Public License (GPL)]] to close the "SaaS loophole." Under GPL, providing software as a network service (without distributing it) doesn't trigger copyleft obligations. The AGPL fixes this: if users interact with AGPL software over a network, they must be able to receive the source code. Released by the [[Free Software Foundation (FSF)]] in 2007, the AGPLv3 is based on [[GPLv3 License|GPLv3]] with Section 13 added for network use. It's commonly used for server software where maintainers want to ensure cloud providers and SaaS companies contribute back their modifications rather than keeping them proprietary. ## Key Difference from GPL The AGPL adds one requirement: > If you modify the Program and make it available to users interacting with it over a network, you must provide source code access to those users. ## When to Use AGPL - **Server software**: Web applications, APIs, databases - **SaaS prevention**: Prevent proprietary cloud forks - **Community projects**: Ensure all improvements are shared ## Notable AGPL Projects - **MongoDB** (pre-SSPL) - **Nextcloud**: File sync and collaboration - **Grafana**: Monitoring dashboards - **[[Mastodon]]**: Federated social network - **Mattermost**: Team chat ## AGPL Concerns Some companies avoid AGPL dependencies: - Google bans AGPL code internally - Concerns about "infection" of proprietary code - Uncertainty about what triggers network copyleft ## References - https://www.gnu.org/licenses/agpl-3.0.html - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Affero_General_Public_License ## Related - [[GNU General Public License (GPL)]] - [[GPLv3 License]] - [[Free Software Foundation (FSF)]] - [[Richard Stallman]] - [[Open Source]]