couchbase community edition on more than 2 nodes

Question

i am currently building a website around a couchbase database and if it gets popular it is likely that i will be hosting the site and database on more than 2 machines at some stage in the future. its a fair way off still, so i would like some information to help me decide which direction to go from here. my questions are:

1. does anybody know if i am allowed to deploy the free edition (ce) of couchbase on more than 2 nodes? if the answer varies depending on the version then please could you tell me which version permits this (if any).

2. if it is not possible to deploy the the free version of couchbase on more than 2 nodes then could someone explain whether this is prevented by software, or by law?

i found the following statement on the couchbase website:

Community Edition (CE) are best for non-commercial developers, where taking some time to figure out or resolve issues doesn’t result in major problems. There are no constraints on using these binaries on production systems

which makes it sound like the software can be installed on as many machines as desired in production without a requirement to pay, but then another couchbase page reads:

Looking for the free version? Our Enterprise Edition Free version offers the full functionality of Couchbase Server, with free unlimited use in development and up to two nodes in a production cluster.

so i'm confused. maybe this last one is just referring to the cost of support and not any cost associated with the software itself?

Answer 1

You can deploy Community Edition on 2 nodes and more. Restrictions exist only for Enterprise Edition:

http://www.couchbase.com/couchbase-support

Answer 2

If you hover over the "Why Enterprise" or "Why Community" link on the download page, you get the details:

Community Edition:

Choose Community Edition if you're working non-commercial projects:

• For enthusiasts able to resolve issues independently
• Untested binaries that do not include the latest EE bug fixes
• No constraints on using binaries on production systems
• Help available from the Couchbase user community

So you can use the Community Edition without constraints on an unlimited number of nodes in production or for development.

Enterprise Edition:

Choose Enterprise Edition if you're working on funded project, here's why:

• Rigorously tested, production-ready release with latest bug fixes
• Free for testing and development for any number of nodes
• Free for production up to two nodes
• Annual subscription available, includes support and hot-fixes

The Free Enterprise Edition constraints are what is referred to in the table referenced in one of the other answers in the "Free" Collumn: http://www.couchbase.com/couchbase-support.

The packages also have the license files describing the binary licenses.

And of course the source code for Couchbase Server is open, under Apache 2.0 license.

Answer 3

These are two different versions, Community Edition vs Enterprise Edition. CE is free to be deployed on as many as you want to, But with Forums only Support vs Enterprise is free for up to 2 nodes in production.

That said, if your data is mission critical to you or your clients, The recommendation is to migrate to the Enterprise edition. If your application can be supported by forums help only, there is no need to move from your CE Couchbase Server.