A PHP license change is imminent
3 days ago
- #Software Development
- #PHP Licensing
- #Open Source
- PHP is currently dual-licensed under PHP v3.01 and Zend v2.0, with plans to replace both with the BSD three-clause license via an RFC vote ending April 4, 2026.
- Historical license changes include initial GPLv2, dual licensing with a custom PHP License for PHP 3, and the adoption of the Zend license for the Zend Engine in PHP 4.0.
- The license change proposal, led by Ben Ramsey, has gained approval from the PHP Group and Perforce Software (Zend's owner), citing no rights changes for contributors under the new license.
- Discussions addressed timing (targeting PHP 9.0 or later) and GPL-compatibility improvements, with plans to remove linking options to GPLv3 libraries like Readline and GDBM.
- Voting is ongoing, with early results showing strong support, though passage is not guaranteed; the effort aims to simplify licensing and resolve long-standing confusion.