Redpanda, Redpanda Console, and Redpanda Connect are available in community and enterprise editions. Each product has a single binary that supports both editions.
-
Redpanda Community Edition is free and source-available on GitHub:
-
Redpanda Enterprise Edition requires a license key and includes additional features.
|
Note
|
Redpanda Cloud is a managed deployment of Redpanda Enterprise Edition. To learn more about Redpanda Cloud, see the redpanda-cloud:get-started:cloud-overview.adoc. |
The Community Edition is licensed with the Redpanda Business Source License (BSL). These core features are free and source-available.
The Enterprise Edition is licensed with the Redpanda Community License (RCL). It includes the free features licensed under the Redpanda BSL, as well as enterprise features.
Enterprise features require an Enterprise Edition license key, sometimes referred to as enterprise license, license key, or license.
Starting with version 24.3, new Redpanda clusters automatically receive a trial license that’s valid for 30 days, allowing unrestricted use of enterprise features. This evaluation period begins when the cluster is created for the first time. After this period expires, inactive enterprise features are disabled, and active features enter a restricted state.
To get a trial license key or extend your trial period, generate a new trial license key. Or, upgrade to Redpanda Enterprise.
|
Important
|
Redpanda Connect does not accept trial license keys. To use enterprise features of Redpanda Connect, upgrade to Redpanda Enterprise |
|
Note
|
get-started:partial$licensing/block-upgrades-note.adoc |
The following table lists the Enterprise features for Redpanda, along with how Redpanda behaves when each enterprise feature is enabled and the license expires.
-
Upon license expiration:
-
The cluster continues to operate without data loss, but further use of enterprise features is restricted (see the table).
-
Configuration of enterprise features remains unchanged, allowing you to apply a new license and resume the use of enterprise features as they were before expiration. For instructions, see get-started:licensing/add-license-redpanda/index.adoc
-
-
After license expiration: You cannot enable any enterprise features without a valid license.
| Feature | Description | Behavior Upon Expiration |
|---|---|---|
Audit Logging |
Records detailed logs of cluster activities for compliance and monitoring. |
Read access to the audit log topic is denied, but logging continues. |
Continuous Data Balancing |
Automatically balances partitions across a cluster to optimize resource use and performance. |
Continuous balancing is disabled, reverting to the default |
Continuous Intra-Broker Partition Balancing
( |
Balances partition replicas across CPU cores in an individual broker to optimize disk space usage. |
Continuous Intra-Broker Partition Balancing is disabled. |
FIPS Compliance |
Enables compliance with FIPS security standards for cryptography. |
No change |
Kerberos authentication |
Provides secure Kerberos-based authentication. |
No change |
Leader Pinning |
Specifies the set of availability zones where the leaders of partitions of a given topic should be located. |
Leader Pinning is disabled on all topics. |
OAUTHBEARER/OIDC authentication |
Allows for OAUTHBEARER and OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication. |
No change |
Remote Read Replicas |
Enables remote clusters to read data stored in object storage for disaster recovery. |
Remote Read Replica topics cannot be created or modified. |
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) |
Manages user roles and permissions within the cluster. |
Roles and ACLs associated with roles cannot be created or modified. Role deletion is allowed. |
Server-Side Schema ID Validation |
Validates schema IDs server-side to ensure schema compatibility. With schema ID validation, records associated with unregistered schemas are detected and dropped by a broker rather than a consumer. |
Topics with schema validation settings cannot be created or modified. |
Tiered Storage |
Enables storage of data in cloud object storage for long-term retention and retrieval. |
Topics cannot be created or modified to enable Tiered Storage features. Additional partitions cannot be added to topics that have any Tiered Storage properties enabled. |
The following enterprise features for Redpanda Console are activated with a valid Enterprise Edition license key:
| Feature | Description | Restrictions Without Valid License |
|---|---|---|
Redpanda Console Authentication |
Enables authentication for Redpanda Console, allowing secure access for users. |
All endpoints are redirected to the license expiration landing page, and all other access is restricted. |
Redpanda Console Authorization (RBAC) |
Manages user roles and permissions for accessing features within Redpanda Console. |
All endpoints are redirected to the license expiration landing page, and all other access is restricted. |
The Enterprise Edition of Redpanda Connect includes additional connectors. An Enterprise Edition license is required to enable them.
For a list of all available connectors, see redpanda-connect:components:catalog.adoc.
-
License expires during runtime: All enterprise features for Redpanda Connect become unavailable.
-
License expired at startup: Redpanda Connect logs an error message and blocks the use of all enterprise features.
|
Important
|
Redpanda Connect does not accept trial license keys. To use enterprise features of Redpanda Connect, upgrade to Redpanda Enterprise |
Redpanda offers multiple ways to manage your license depending on your deployment method. Proper license management ensures access to advanced enterprise features and avoids restrictions when licenses are invalid or expired.
See get-started:licensing/add-license-redpanda/index.adoc.
Redpanda Console offers two methods for applying or updating a license, depending on your setup:
-
If you are using Redpanda Console without connecting it to a Redpanda cluster, you can configure the license through the local configuration file or environment variables. This method allows you to add a license for Redpanda Console independently of the Redpanda cluster.
-
If Redpanda Console is connected to a Redpanda cluster, you can upload a license through the Redpanda Console UI. This method allows you to manage and update licenses for both Redpanda Console and the connected Redpanda cluster.