Nov 20, 2024

OpenSource Agents

Device makers are a dynamic source of innovation and creativity. They create useful, sometimes crazy devices that push the boundaries of what can be done with smart, connected devices.

To better serve these creators, we’ve announced a new Project subscription plan that is free for your first 10 devices, and we’ve made all our device agents available under an open source license.

Free Plan for Makers

For individual device makers, builders and commercial evaluations we offer a free subscription for up to 10 devices. This includes the ability to embed the Ioto agent in your device and create device clouds to manage your devices.

This subscription is ideal for individual project makers or commercial evaluations to easily prototype a device management solution with Ioto.

Commercial device builders can seamlessly upgrade their plans after prototyping to scale deployments for production. We support any scale up to 50M devices.

Open Source Device Agents

To better support the individual project maker community, we’re releasing all our device agents under an open source license. This augments the existing commercial and evaluation licenses we offer.

License Details

EmbedThis distributes device agent software under three licenses. You can choose which license you wish to use depending on your other licensing terms.

Commercial License Overview

The Commercial License provides you with the flexibility and rights needed to integrate the software into your proprietary products and services. Key features of the commercial license include:

Right to Create Integrated Products: The license allows you to compile, modify, and use the device agent software to create Integrated Products and keep your source code private and confidential.
Distribution Rights: You can distribute, market, and sell Integrated Products, including the ability to provide cloud-based remote access to your products.
Support for Contract Manufacturers: The license permits distributing the agent software in source code form to contract manufacturers.
Service Integration: You can integrate with the EmbedThis cloud-based management service to manage your devices.
Developer Support: Access to dedicated support services for assistance in designing and implementing Integrated Products.

Please read the full Embedthis Commercial License for details.

Evaluation License Overview

The EmbedThis Eval License is for short term commercial evaluations. This license is similar to the commercial license but is limited in time and for products that are not commercially distributed in volume. It is not an open source license.

Open Source License Overview

EmbedThis provides device agent software, including Ioto, Appweb, and GoAhead, under an open source GPLv2 license. The GPLv2 license is particularly suitable for individual maker projects and some commercial evaluations.

However, it is important to note that the GPL license has strict requirements regarding its use. If you use the GPLv2 license, you are still required to abide by the general EmbedThis Terms of Service.

The GNU General Public License is a widely recognized open-source license that ensures users have the freedom to run, study, share, and modify software. Key provisions of the GPLv2 license include:

Open Source Requirement: Software distributed under the GPL license must remain open source. This means that any derivative works or modifications to the software must also be released under the GPL license if distributed.
Non-Compatible with Proprietary Software: GPL-licensed software cannot be incorporated into proprietary software unless the entire project is released under the GPL.
Obligation to Share Modifications: If you modify GPL-licensed software and distribute those modifications, you must make the modified source code publicly available and accessible to all others under the same license.
Compliance: By utilizing the GPL-licensed software, you are legally bound to fully comply with all its terms. Failure to do so may result in a violation of the license agreement.

Choosing the Right License

You can choose the commercial license or the open source GPL license depending on your individual or business needs.

Commercial License: For businesses requiring the flexibility to incorporate EmbedThis software into proprietary or closed-source applications, the commercial license is the best choice. This option provides professional support, customization, and the ability to integrate with non-open source programs.
GPL License: Ideal for open-source enthusiasts, makers, or those evaluating the software for non-commercial purposes. The GPL License does not generally permit incorporating the agent software into non-open source programs.

The EmbedThis Ioto cloud management service is provided under the EmbedThis Terms of Service. Your use of the software or access to the cloud service constitutes acceptance of the relevant license terms.