Hawkerline Community License
Hawkerline license, in plain language
Hawkerline is source-available, not OSI open source. A food and beverage business with annual revenue of not more than S$10,000,000 can run it free for its own outlets. Vendors and resellers need a commercial license.
This page is a summary. The LICENSE file governs: Hawkerline Community License 1.0, copyright 2026 Leonard Chow Yi Ding, who is the licensor.
At a glance
| Who | Can they use Hawkerline? |
|---|---|
| A food and beverage business, with affiliates at or under S$10,000,000 annual revenue in the previous financial year, running it for its own outlets | Yes, free. Install, modify, self-host, or have an IT contractor set it up for the business's own use. Revenue counts the business together with its affiliates. |
| A business that grows above S$10,000,000 | It may keep using Hawkerline under the community license for 90 days after the end of the financial year in which the threshold was exceeded. After that it needs a commercial license. |
| A contractor or freelancer | May be paid to set it up for one eligible merchant. May not sell the software, or run one deployment for several businesses. |
| A business above S$10,000,000 annual revenue | Needs a commercial license. |
| Personal, evaluation, educational and non-commercial use | Allowed. |
| System vendors, POS or SaaS providers, agencies and integrators | Need a separate commercial license to sell, resell, sublicense, host as a service for other businesses, or bundle into a commercial product. |
Need a commercial license?
Open an issue in the GitHub repository to contact the licensor, Leonard Chow Yi Ding. Do not post private business details in a public issue.
License FAQ
Is Hawkerline free?
It is free for a food and beverage business to run for its own outlets, if the business together with its affiliates had annual revenue of not more than S$10,000,000 in the previous financial year. Personal, evaluation, educational and non-commercial use is also allowed.
Can my IT contractor set it up for me?
Yes. An eligible business may install, modify and self-host Hawkerline, and may have an IT contractor set it up for the business's own use.
What can a vendor or agency not do?
Without a separate commercial license, system vendors, POS or SaaS providers, agencies and integrators may not sell, resell, sublicense, host it as a service for other businesses, or bundle it into a commercial product.
What happens above S$10,000,000 in annual revenue?
A business above that threshold needs a commercial license. Contact the licensor by opening an issue in the GitHub repository.
Is Hawkerline open source?
It is source-available, not OSI open source. You can read and modify the source, within the terms of the Hawkerline Community License.
How is annual revenue counted?
Revenue counts the business together with its affiliates, for the previous financial year. The threshold is S$10,000,000 or less.
Can an IT contractor charge me for setup?
Yes. A contractor may be paid to set Hawkerline up for one eligible merchant. The contractor may not sell the software or run one deployment for several businesses.
What if my business grows past S$10,000,000?
After the threshold is exceeded you have 90 days to obtain a commercial license. Open an issue in the GitHub repository to contact the licensor.
Who is the licensor?
Leonard Chow Yi Ding. The license file is LICENSE (Hawkerline Community License 1.0).
Is there a warranty or support contract?
No. Hawkerline is provided as-is, without warranty.