Is LXD Free?

Open Source License: Apache 2.0

The LXD project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0. This is a very permissive and business-friendly open-source license, which means:

• Commercial Use: You can use LXD in commercial products or services without charge.
• Distribution: You can freely distribute original or modified versions of LXD.
• Modification: You can modify the LXD source code to meet your own needs.
• Patent Grant: The license includes an express grant of patent rights.

In short, the Apache 2.0 license provides users and developers with significant freedom, removing legal concerns about using LXD in a commercial environment.

Optional Commercial Support

While the LXD software itself is free, its primary developer and maintainer, Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu), offers paid commercial support services.

This is a common open-source business model: the software is free, the service is not.

• What's Included: Commercial support typically includes enterprise-grade services like 24/7 technical assistance, expert consulting, guaranteed security patches, and performance tuning.
• Target Audience: It is primarily aimed at businesses that deploy LXD at scale in production environments and have high requirements for system stability and security.
• How to Get It: Commercial support for LXD is usually offered as part of an Ubuntu Pro subscription.

For individual developers, small to medium-sized projects, or teams capable of solving technical issues on their own, there is no need to purchase commercial support to use the full functionality of LXD.

Conclusion: Free to Use, Support on Demand

You can confidently use LXD in any project without worrying about costs. It is a powerful, community-driven open-source project backed by Canonical. You only need to consider paying for commercial support when you require enterprise-level service guarantees.