What happened
On 1 May 2025, with the GA of Redis 8, Redis added the OSI-approved AGPLv3 as a license option alongside the existing source-available SSPLv1 and RSALv2 — making Redis open source again. The move follows the March 2024 switch to SSPL, which the OSI does not recognize as open source and which prompted AWS and Google to back the Valkey fork; Redis creator Salvatore Sanfilippo (antirez) rejoined the company in late 2024. Redis 8 also folds the former Redis Stack modules (JSON, Time Series, probabilistic types, the Query Engine) into core under AGPL, adds a new vector-sets data type, and reports 30+ performance improvements (up to 87% faster commands, ~2× throughput).
Why it matters
Redis is load-bearing infrastructure almost everywhere, so its license is an architecture decision. Returning to an OSI-approved license and merging Stack into core narrows the reasons to have jumped to Valkey — but the fork now exists, is backed by hyperscalers, and won't disappear, so 'Redis or Valkey' is a real, ongoing choice.
License is a dependency you don't usually diff. The Staff move is to actually read which license you're consuming — AGPL carries copyleft / network-use obligations that some products can't accept and that SSPL/RSAL and Valkey's BSD do not — then decide Redis-vs-Valkey on governance and managed-service support rather than vibes. Treat a project reversing a licensing decision under pressure as itself a signal about its long-term governance.
Why does the license of an open-source dependency like Redis matter to your architecture, and how would you weigh Redis (AGPL) against a permissively-licensed fork like Valkey?
Probes license literacy (AGPL/copyleft, network use), lock-in, and governance risk.