When we launched the OSPO <\/a>in May 2026, we said Apache 2.0<\/a> is the target licence for ownCloud. We put it in writing in the manifesto<\/a>. We said the relicensing programme was underway.<\/p>\n Today it starts producing results.<\/p>\n owncloud\/web-extensions<\/a> \u2014 the repository for ownCloud web extension development \u2014 has been relicensed from AGPL-3.0 to Apache-2.0. It’s the first ownCloud repository to complete the relicensing process under the OSPO-driven migration programme. PR #443<\/a>, authored by Lukas Hirt<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is the beginning of a systematic programme across the ownCloud ecosystem.<\/p>\n The Apache Software Foundation’s third-party licence policy<\/a> classifies AGPL-3.0<\/a> as Category X<\/a>: a licence that is incompatible with Apache 2.0<\/a> and therefore cannot be used in ASF projects. If any ownCloud component were to be contributed upstream to an Apache project \u2014 and oCIS, with its CS3\/reva stack and open federation standards work, has reasons to be there \u2014 an AGPL-3.0 licence on our web extension layer would block that path.<\/p>\n That’s a theoretical concern right now. But we’re building for the ecosystem, not just for today’s deployment needs. A relicensing decision made now, before the dependency graph gets complicated, is worth a hundred conversations about compatibility later.<\/p>\n Beyond the ASF policy, Apache 2.0<\/a> is the more permissive and procurement-friendly choice. European public sector customers don’t need to wrestle with copyleft <\/a>obligations. Enterprise developers building web extensions don’t need to worry about AGPL’s network-use provisions. Apache 2.0 means: use it, build on it, ship it, don’t worry about the licence.<\/p>\n Lukas Hirt’s commit is thorough. This wasn’t a licence-file swap \u2014 it was a proper relicensing with compliance infrastructure built in:<\/p>\n web-extensions is the framework for building oCIS web extensions \u2014 the layer that third-party developers build on, that community contributors extend, and that we’ve been encouraging AI-assisted development on since we published the AI development guide.<\/p>\n An AGPL-3.0 licence on the extension framework creates friction for exactly the contributors we want to attract: product managers building custom extensions, students creating lab projects, partners integrating oCIS with their platforms. Apache 2.0 removes one of the bigger reasons they’d hesitate.<\/p>\n web-extensions is the first. It won’t be the last.<\/p>\n The OSPO relicensing programme is a structured audit across 108 repositories. Each repo goes through a four-tier classification: already Apache 2.0, relicensable after copyright audit, needs careful evaluation, or a fork that carries the upstream licence. web-extensions cleared the audit. The PR is the result.<\/p>\n We’re not publishing a roadmap of which repos follow in which order \u2014 the audit takes the time it takes, and we’re not skipping steps. But the direction is clear.<\/p>\n We said Apache 2.0 is the target. This is what the target being achieved looks like, one repo at a time.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\nWhy AGPL-3.0 Had to Go<\/h3>\n
What the PR Actually Changes<\/h3>\n
\n
Why web-extensions First<\/h3>\n
This Is a Programme, Not a One-Off<\/h3>\n