Aestra is licensed under the Aestra Studios Source-Available License (ASSAL) v1.1.
This document provides an overview of the licensing terms and rights. For the complete legal text, see LICENSE.
📋 Overview
Aestra uses a source-available license, which means:
- ✅ The source code is publicly visible for transparency and education
- ❌ The code is NOT open-source — you cannot use it freely
This model allows developers and musicians to see exactly how Aestra works while protecting the intellectual property of Aestra Studios.
✅ What You CAN Do (Permitted Actions)
1. View and Study the Code
You are free to:
- Read and study the source code
- Learn from the architecture and implementation
- Use Aestra as an educational resource
- Analyze algorithms and design patterns
Use Case: Students, researchers, and developers can study professional DAW architecture.
2. Report Bugs and Security Issues
You are encouraged to:
- Report bugs via GitHub Issues
- Disclose security vulnerabilities responsibly
- Suggest improvements and optimizations
- Participate in technical discussions
Use Case: Help improve Aestra’s quality and security.
3. Suggest Features and Improvements
You can:
- Open feature requests on GitHub
- Participate in GitHub Discussions
- Provide feedback on design decisions
- Vote on community feature polls
Use Case: Shape the future direction of Aestra.
4. Submit Pull Requests
You may contribute code by:
- Fixing bugs in the codebase
- Implementing approved features
- Improving documentation
- Optimizing performance
Important: By submitting a pull request, you grant all rights to Aestra Studios. See Contributor License Agreement below.
❌ What You CANNOT Do (Restrictions)
1. Use the Software Without Permission
You may NOT:
- Build and use Aestra for personal or commercial projects without written consent
- Deploy Aestra in production environments
- Distribute compiled binaries to others
Exception: Aestra Studios may grant usage rights in the future through a commercial license.
2. Create Derivative Works
You may NOT:
- Fork the repository to create your own DAW
- Modify the code to create competing products
- Extract components for use in other projects
- Create plugins or extensions without permission
Why? This protects Aestra’s competitive advantage and intellectual property.
3. Redistribute or Sublicense
You may NOT:
- Share the source code with others (it’s already public, but you can’t redistribute it)
- Grant licenses to third parties
- Sell or monetize any part of the codebase
- Package Aestra for distribution platforms
4. Remove or Alter Proprietary Notices
You may NOT:
- Remove copyright headers from source files
- Alter the license text
- Remove or modify the ASSAL identifier
- Change author attribution
All source files must retain:
// © 2026 Aestra Studios – All Rights Reserved. Licensed for personal & educational use only.
🏷️ SPDX License Identifier
Aestra uses the following SPDX identifier:
SPDX-License-Identifier: ASSAL
This identifier should be included in:
- All source code files (
.cpp, .h, .c)
- Build configuration files (
CMakeLists.txt)
- Documentation that references the license
Example Usage:
// © 2026 Aestra Studios – All Rights Reserved. Licensed for personal & educational use only.
// SPDX-License-Identifier: ASSAL
#pragma once
#include "AestraCore.h"
// ... rest of file
🤝 Contributor License Agreement
By contributing to Aestra (via pull requests, issues, or other means), you agree to the following terms:
1. Grant of Rights
You grant Dylan Makori / Aestra Studios:
- Full ownership of your contributed code
- Perpetual, worldwide, exclusive license to use your contributions
- The right to modify, distribute, and sublicense your contributions
- The right to relicense your contributions under different terms
2. Waiver of Ownership
You agree that:
- All contributed code becomes the property of Aestra Studios
- You waive all ownership claims to your contributions
- You will not challenge Aestra Studios’ ownership in the future
- Your contributions will be licensed under ASSAL v1.1
3. Representation and Warranty
You represent that:
- You have the legal right to grant these rights
- Your contributions are original work or properly licensed
- Your contributions do not infringe on third-party rights
- You are not submitting code under conflicting licenses
4. No Compensation
You understand that:
- Contributions are voluntary and unpaid
- You will not receive royalties or compensation
- Aestra Studios has no obligation to use your contributions
- Recognition may be given via Git commit history and acknowledgments
📖 License Philosophy
Why Source-Available Instead of Open-Source?
We chose a source-available model for several reasons:
1. Sustainability
- Allows Aestra Studios to build a sustainable business model
- Enables funding for long-term development and support
- Protects against commercial exploitation by larger companies
2. Quality Control
- Maintains a cohesive vision and design philosophy
- Ensures professional-grade quality standards
- Prevents fragmentation into incompatible forks
3. Transparency
- Source code visibility builds trust with users
- Educational value for students and developers
- Community can verify security and correctness
4. Protection
- Safeguards innovative features and technology
- Prevents competitors from copying unique implementations
- Preserves intellectual property value
Source-available ≠ Open-source, but we believe this model offers the best balance of transparency and sustainability.
💼 Future Commercial Licensing
Aestra is currently in development. Upon official release, we plan to offer:
Planned License Tiers
- Personal License — For individual producers and hobbyists
- Professional License — For professional studios and producers
- Enterprise License — For large organizations and institutions
- Educational License — For students and educational institutions (discounted)
Pricing and availability will be announced upon official release.
To express interest in early access or commercial licensing, contact: makoridylan@gmail.com
🎓 Educational Use
We are committed to supporting education and learning:
For Students
- ✅ Study the source code freely for educational purposes
- ✅ Write papers and research based on Aestra’s architecture
- ✅ Use Aestra as a reference for academic projects
- ❌ Cannot use Aestra code in your own projects without permission
For Educators
- ✅ Teach using Aestra’s codebase as an example
- ✅ Assign students to analyze Aestra’s architecture
- ✅ Compare Aestra to other DAW designs
- ❌ Cannot distribute Aestra or derivative works to students
Educational licensing may be available in the future for verified students and institutions.
📚 Full License Reference
For a comprehensive breakdown of the license terms, including:
- Detailed permissions and restrictions
- Commercial licensing information
- Contributor guidelines
- Frequently asked questions
See docs/about/license-reference.md for the complete license reference guide.
Copyright
Copyright © 2026 Dylan Makori / Aestra Studios. All rights reserved.
Trademarks
- Aestra and the Aestra logo are trademarks of Dylan Makori / Aestra Studios
- Unauthorized use of trademarks is prohibited
Jurisdiction
This license is governed by the laws of the Republic of Kenya, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.
Termination
Any unauthorized use of this software will result in:
- Immediate termination of all implied permissions
- Potential legal action for intellectual property infringement
- Liability for damages
For Licensing Questions
For Technical Questions
For Partnership Opportunities
🔗 Additional Resources
**Thank you for respecting Aestra's license.** 🙏
We believe in building sustainable, transparent software that serves musicians worldwide.
*Copyright © 2026 Dylan Makori / Aestra Studios*
*Licensed under ASSAL v1.1*