The GNU Affero General Public License Version 3 (AGPL-3.0) is an open source license. It governs what users may do with the software and which duties follow. For an ERP system such as Nuclos that stands under this license, it sets the legal frame for operations, customization, and redistribution. This article is a general, technical orientation and not legal advice.

What the AGPL allows

The AGPL grants three central rights:

• Free use. The software may be used internally without limit, without a license fee per user or seat.
• Right to modify. The source code may be adapted, extended, and integrated into own processes.
• Right to inspect. The full source code is open. Customizations can be traced, reviewed, and if needed continued by another team.

For leadership that means in practice: no user license as a growth lever, transparency over the technical base, and the option to switch operations and support. Deeper on cost structure: ERP license costs. For positioning open source in the mid-market: open source ERP.

What the network clause distinguishes from the GPL

The AGPL differs from the plain GNU GPL through an additional duty: the network clause. Under the GPL, the duty to disclose source code mainly applies when the software is redistributed as a program. If it is only offered as a service over a network, for example as a hosted web application, the GPL typically creates no disclosure duty.

The AGPL closes exactly that gap. Whoever makes a modified version of AGPL software available to third parties as a network service, for example as a SaaS offer, must provide those users with the complete modified source code. Purely internal operation without third-party access over a network typically does not trigger this duty under the usual reading of the clause. Whether a concrete case falls under it depends on the circumstances and should be reviewed legally in case of doubt.

Short difference:

1. GPL: disclosure mainly when redistributing the software as a program
2. AGPL: additionally disclosure when modified software is offered to third parties as a network service
3. Internal operation: typically no trigger of the network clause as long as no third-party access over a network arises

Why that structurally hinders lock-in

For an ERP that means: a vendor cannot run a closed, proprietary version of the software as a network service without disclosing the source code of that version. Since Nuclos itself stands under AGPL-3.0, that also applies to Nuclos as a vendor. Customers therefore keep a claim to source code and data, independent of whether an instance is self-hosted or operated externally.

For leadership that means in practice: no hidden lock-in through closed further development that is only visible at the vendor. The AGPL is therefore a structural argument for independence, not a substitute for checking contracts, export paths, and operating model in the individual case. See also vendor lock-in and ERP exit strategy.

What customers should still check themselves

The license alone does not dissolve every dependency:

• Are export and data handover clear contractually and technically?
• Is documentation of your customizations with you?
• Can operations and support be switched?
• Which add-on components stand under other licenses?

Combinations with other software, your own redistribution, or SaaS offers to third parties can trigger additional duties. Those questions belong in the legal assessment of your concrete setup, not in a general knowledge base.

Not legal advice

This article is a general, technical orientation on the license terms and not legal advice. For the legal assessment of a concrete situation, for example your own redistribution, combination with other software, or network use by third parties, legal counsel is recommended. Nuclos assumes no warranty for the legal correctness of this orientation in the individual case. The binding source remains the license text of the GNU AGPL 3.0.