Follow-up Notice: emqx/emqx Docker Image Update to v5.9.0 (BSL License)

[gujun720]

Hi EMQX Community,

Following up on our previous announcement regarding the license change, we want to inform you about the next step involving our Docker Hub images.

On May 16, 2025, EMQX v5.9.0 will be available in the emqx/emqx Docker repository, which operates under the new Business Source License (BSL) 1.1. This version marks an exciting step: it unifies all features from previous Open Source and Enterprise editions. You get access to everything in one image!

Key Change for Cluster Users

If you are currently running a cluster using the emqx/emqx image and plan to upgrade to v5.9.0 or later, please be aware that your cluster may not start correctly without applying a license.

Action needed:

• If you run multi‑node clusters, request a license key in advance or pin your images to 5.8.x until you’re ready.
• Single‑node dev/prod users can upgrade as usual — no key required.

Learn more

License FAQ: EMQX Licensing FAQ
Applying the License Doc: Work with EMQX Enterprise License | EMQX Docs

We're making this change to sustainably develop EMQX and bring all its powerful features to the entire community.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out on our Community Slack or GitHub Discussions.

Thanks for your understanding and continued support!

Best,
The EMQX Team

[matthewGEA]

@gujun720 Please clarify the intention of the BSL Additional Use Grant:

You may make production use of a single node of the Licensed Work, provided your use does not include offering the Licensed Work to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis.

Which of the two options is the correct interpretation?

A) an enterprise may deploy the product to production an unlimited number of times, as long as each deployment is a standalone node (not clustered)

or

B) an enterprise may have one instance of the product deployed into production

[id]

An enterprise may use EMQX with default license as long as it is not offering EMQX as SaaS or embedded products.

From both a technical and the BSL agreement standpoint, we do not restrict users from deploying multiple standalone instances or multiple times. The only restriction is that forming a cluster from multiple nodes requires a license key.

In fact, users can even deploy a load balancer in front of multiple standalone single node instances to achieve high availability. These concerns were raised before the license change and were deemed acceptable.

[rouke-broersma]

@id can you clarify how one would achieve high availability with just a loadbalancer without clustering? There is no guarantee what producer and consumer would write/read to/from the same backend target so there is no guarantee that messages are consumed and produced in the correct order or at all.

[id]

@rouke-broersma you are right, this setup won't cover all use cases. But it can work when you need, for example, to only send data from devices to backend. A backend app could connect to all standalone EMQX nodes behind a load balancer, consume the data and process it.
If you need bi-directional channels for clients to communicate with each other, this won't work.

[nsteinmetz]

Hi there,

I think I read almost all related licence change content but still have a question.

I run emqx in a single node deployment way for both prod and non prod environments as the number of my IoT devices is still low and does not require clustering yet.

So I use emqx/emqx:5.8.6 docker image and 5.8.6 deb binary release in production.

On install page, you mention emqx/emqx-entreprise - how does it compare to emqx/emqx image ? Based on digests, they are the same docker images (and I noticed, there is also emqx/emqx-ee 😱 )

Github release page mention emqx-entreprise-<release> for 5.9+ only

Download page provides only entreprise binaries and for 5.8.x has only 5.8.7

In your licence FAQ:

7. How to upgrade from Opensource edition to Enterprise edition

• Apply for a license key here.
• Upgrade your current Opensource edition to Enterprise edition at the same version. For example, upgrade from EMQX v5.8.6 to EMQX Enterprise e5.8.6. Refer to the documentation for more details.
• Upgrade from Enterprise from the base version (e.g. e5.8.6) to latest version (e.g. e5.9.0) by following the rolling upgrade steps.

Is it required to move from opensource to enterprise version when upgrading from 5.8.x to 5.9.x+ ? Shouldn't it be applied only for clustered environments ?

From my understanding so far:

• If BSL related releases are the only way, maybe emqx/emqx image should stop at 5.8.x to avoid confusions and then only have emqx/emqx-entreprise for 5.9+
• I should be able to bump version to 5.9.x or even 5.10.x versions without any license requirement as I don't use clustering
• Previous entreprise features should be available without licence key requirement
• The binary upgrade path should only be:
  • For docker emqx/emqx:5.8.6 > emqx/emqx:5.8.7 > emqx/emqx-entreprise:5.8.7 > emqx/emqx-entreprise:5.9.x or emqx/emqx-entreprise:5.10.x but without a licence requirement.
  • For deb binary : emqx-5.8.6 > emqx-5.8.7 > emqx-entreprise-5.8.7 > emqx-entreprise-5.9.x or emqx-entreprise-5.10.x but without a licence requirement.

Am I correct ?

[nsteinmetz]

btw e5.x tags seems vanished - so docs needs to be updated as well.

[id]

emqx/emqx-enterprise and emqx/emqx are the same image starting from 5.9.0.
emqx/emqx-ee is older docker image for 4.x version family. We are still releasing patches for 4.4.x.

Is it required to move from opensource to enterprise version when upgrading from 5.8.x to 5.9.x+ ?

There is only enterprise version starting from 5.9.0. However, 5.9.x+ comes with a default license which allows unlimited (technically, the limit is 10M) connections and unlocks all enterprise features. So you don't need to apply for commercial license as long as you comply with BSL and its "Additional Use Grant" clause.

Shouldn't it be applied only for clustered environments?

Correct. Single node upgrade can be done without applying for a license.

If BSL related releases are the only way, maybe emqx/emqx image should stop at 5.8.x to avoid confusions and then only have emqx/emqx-entreprise for 5.9+

It was a company decision to make emqx/emqx the same as emqx/emqx-enterprise.

I should be able to bump version to 5.9.x or even 5.10.x versions without any license requirement as I don't use clustering

Yes, built in license will work just fine if you don't need clustering.

Previous entreprise features should be available without licence key requirement

What do you mean exactly by "previous enterprise features"?

The binary upgrade path should only be ....

Yes, you can also skip emqx 5.8.7 and upgrade 5.8.6 directly to emqx-entreprise 5.8.7.

[nsteinmetz]

Thanks for your answers and prompt response !

What do you mean exactly by "previous enterprise features"?

All the features that were previously available only in the entreprise version pre 5.9.x (like SSO, persistence, etc)

Yes, you can also skip emqx 5.8.7 and upgrade 5.8.6 directly to emqx-entreprise 5.8.7.

Cool, I was hoping for this shortcut in the upgrade path.

[id]

All enterprise features are available in 5.9+ with built in license.

[nsteinmetz]

Ok thanks ! Now I can plan the upgrade.