# dbt licensing

(Applies to dbt v2.0 and later)

dbt v2 has the following distributions today, all free to install and run.

| Distribution | Package    | Use it when                                                                          |
| ------------ | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| dbt v2       | `dbt`      | The recommended v2 experience.                                                       |
| dbt OSS      | `dbt-core` | Your organization has a strict requirement to use the Apache 2.0 open-source runtime |

If you have a older project that isn’t ready to move to v2, continue using v1.x for compatibility. For new or upgraded projects, we recommend [upgrading to v2](./dbt-versions/upgrade-dbt-platform-version.md?version=2.0#dbt-v2).

## Which one should I use?

For most people: dbt v2. It has more [capabilities](./dbt/dbt-availability.md?version=2.0#what-you-get-with-fusion) out of the box than the open source v2 — including a built-in high-performance SQL linter — even if you never create a dbt account.

We recommend everyone to just [install dbt](./local/install-dbt.md) and get dbt v2 by default.

Typically you'd choose the open source installtion directly only if you're in one of two specific situations:

1. Your organization's license policy requires a strict open-source distribution
2. You're building something custom on top of the OSS code itself.

Already running dbt v1? You don't have to move to v2 — it's still fully supported. Over time, new capabilities will land in v2 only, so most people will eventually want to [upgrade](./dbt-versions/upgrade-dbt-platform-version.md?version=2.0#dbt-v2).

To check which distribution you're using, run `dbt --version` in the command line.

## What changed, and what didn't

**Changed:**

* v2 is available through two distributions: dbt v2 and dbt OSS.
* dbt OSS, the Apache 2.0 open-source distribution for v2, is powered by the shared Rust engine code and is now available in `dbt-core`.
* dbt v2 builds on dbt OSS and extends it with additional proprietary capabilities under the dbt Product Licensing Agreement.

**Unchanged:**

* dbt v1 is still fully available and still Apache 2.0.
* dbt v2 is still completely free to use, with some features unlocked by a free login or a paid dbt platform account — not required for any distribution.
* Contributing to dbt is still open to everyone.

## Licensing details

[dbt v1](https://github.com/dbt-labs/dbt) is released under the [Apache 2.0 license](http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0). dbt v2 is proprietary to dbt Labs, made available under the [dbt Product Licensing Agreement](https://www.getdbt.com/dbt-fusion-engine-license-agreement).

For the full breakdown of what's permitted under each license — source visibility, contributions, modifications, self-hosting, and redistribution — see the [dbt Licensing FAQ](https://www.getdbt.com/licenses-faq).

dbt platform is a separate hosted product governed by its own [terms of service](https://www.getdbt.com/terms-of-use). Also not to be confused with dbt platform [licenses](./platform/manage-access/seats-and-users.md).