Looking for a chatbot maker or bot dev framework? Botpress is an open-source ecosystem for devs to create, manage & extend JavaScript bots. Learn more now!

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Botpress. If you have any other questions, comments or suggestions, let us know at [email protected].

Botpress is a dual-license open source bots development platform for developing bots in the same way that WordPress is a development platform for developing websites. We offer core software and compatible code modules that can be used to quickly create a chatbot in a lego-like way.

We created the tool we wished existed. Botpress is an enterprise-grade tool for developing, deploying, managing and scaling your bots. It’s simple and intuitive, but as flexible as a bot made from scratch.

We are trying to get the balance right between incentivizing contributions and making this a sustainable venture. Our solution is that we will only charge large, enterprise customers for use. In the future we expect to offer premium services and tools such as hosting and will make money off those services as well.

Botpress has been built for developers and actually, it’s not for everyone. You need to have some skills in programming and be familiar with open-source projects (both skills can be easily learned). Botpress is written in JavaScript, but you don’t need to be an expert. With basic skills in programming you will be fine.

You should look at our official documentation to get more details about Botpress.

We are trying to get the balance right between incentivizing contributions and making this a sustainable venture. Our solution is that we will only charge large, enterprise customers for use. In the future we expect to offer premium services and tools such as hosting and will make money off those services as well.

No, not by default. We are planing to add hosting as a service in future and would love to know if this would interest you or not.

Yes, your code is always available. All configurations and files are always accessible directly on your desktop while you are coding.

Yes, the code will always be available on GitHub.

There are currently three possible roles for developers:

You might contribute to the core or the modules because you don’t want to wait for us to add a feature, you are a top programmer and can see a way to do something better or you want to become an expert in the software.

Botpress is available under both the AGPL license and the Botpress Proprietary License, whichever you prefer using.

The reason for having both licenses is to strike the right balance between incentivizing contributions and making this a sustainable venture. Open source is important for transparency and collaboration, however it would be extremely difficult to build a sustainable venture under a strictly open source license.

Yes, under the Botpress license you can only use the modules to build chatbots which is the primary purpose of the platform. You cannot use it to build other commercial applications such as your own chatbot development platform without getting consent from Botpress first. There are no restrictions under the AGPLlicense other than the copyleft obligations.

No, for the simple reason that they need the core to work properly. The core is the glue that holds the modules together.

Licensing the code under AGPL means that you have to comply with the copyleft obligations (which are essentially to make all your source code public under an AGPL license). This encourages transparency and contributions. Licensing the code under the Botpress license means that you can use the software for commercial purposes and do not have to comply with the copyleft obligations. It is still free to use the software under the Botpress license except if you are a very heavy user. This way and through offering premium services, Botpress can earn some income from the platform to sustain its operations.

The core and the modules are free of charge to use under the AGPL licenses and free under the Botpress license for all but the heaviest users. It’s possible that a module could be added in future that the developer wanted payment for but we are not sure whether that will ever be a requested feature.

No, the AGPL license does not allow you to mix AGPL with Botpress code. The core and all the modules you are using for a particular project must be licensed under the same license, either AGPL or Botpress. In theory there could be edge case exceptions but we haven’t been convinced they have any practical value at this stage.

Yes, it is easy to switch the license for a module or for the core after it has already been downloaded.

Yes, except in the case that it is a private module for your own use and you have licensed the software under the Botpress license (the AGPL open source license has obligations no matter the use case).

You must grant Botpress a license to sublicense your contributions under any license so that Botpress can license out the core under an AGPL or Botpress license.

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