Blogging platform Bear is no longer open source, moves to source-available Elastic license

Bear Blog, a minimalist blogging platform focused on privacy and speed, has shifted from an MIT open source license to a source-available model in September 2025[^4]. According to creator Herman Martinus, the change restricts commercial exploitation while maintaining code accessibility for non-commercial use and security audits.

The new license prohibits for-profit hosting of Bear Blog or derivative services, while preserving the platform's commitment to "no-nonsense, super fast blogging" with no tracking or ads[^{4]. This move mirrors similar licensing changes by companies like Elastic, which adopted a source-available model to protect against commercial exploitation while keeping code visible[}5].

"The original MIT license was selected without deep forethought, primarily to make the code easily auditable," explained Martinus on his blog[^4]. The shift aims to ensure Bear Blog's sustainability through its hosted version's modest subscriptions while preventing "open-source rug pulls" by larger corporations.

[^{4]: [WebProNews - Bear Blog Shifts to Source-Available License for Indie Protection](https://www.webpronews.com/bear-blog-shifts-to-source-available-license-for-indie-protection/) [}5]: Elastic - License Change Clarification