Directus

A flexible backend for projects

Project Website Source Code

Added: 2025-06-10

Last Reviewed: 2025-06-10

Nope!

Not FOSS but there are FOSS related licensing, marketing, or transparency issues.

Guidance

Details

The project is provided under a Business Source License, which is non-FOSS due to limits on use.

The project references itself as open source on its homepage, and also makes references elsewhere:

We strongly believe Directus is still an Open Source project […] (ref)

For most users, it operates just like open source! (ref)

When raised via GitHub, a project member responded with some somewhat misunderstood arguments, including thinking that the BuSL license fits the free software definition based on partial snippets from FSF pages.

The project appears to have raised at least $8.5m in funding with investors including True Ventures and Handshake Ventures. The project also received revenue from selling “production licenses”, support and from providing the software as a service.

Details last reviewed 2025-06-10. Our reviews are performed manually, without legal expertise, and therefore may be inaccurate or missing detail relevant for your use. Please don't treat this as legal guidance or assurance of any kind.

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Related Concerns

Open Washing

Gaining the marketing benefits without providing the freedoms

VC Funding

Helping growth at the risk of pending change