Software licences
JetRift is built on open-source software. This page says what we use, under which licence, and what that means for you and for us. It is a plain-language explanation, not legal advice.
The short version
- The game server that runs your world is Butternut, our fork (modified copy) of the open-source Pumpkin Minecraft server.
- Pumpkin is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3 (GPLv3), and so is Butternut.
- We run Butternut only on computers that we operate. Nobody who plays on JetRift receives a copy of it, and under the GPLv3 that means we are not required to publish our modified source code. If we ever give anybody a copy, we will offer the matching source code under the GPLv3.
- Your worlds, files and settings are yours. The licence of the server program does not change that.
What the GPLv3 asks for
The GPLv3 is a “copyleft” licence. Its main rule applies when software is distributed: anyone who passes a copy of the program (modified or not) to other people must give those people the source code under the same licence. The rule is about handing out copies, not about running the program.
JetRift does not hand out copies of Butternut. It runs on JetRift’s own servers, and players connect to it over the internet with their normal Minecraft game, which is a separate program. Using a program over a network, without receiving a copy of it, is not distribution under the GPLv3. (Some other licences, such as the AGPL, add a rule for that case. Pumpkin does not use the AGPL.) That is why we are not required to publish the source of our modified version, and why the rule would apply to us only if we gave a copy to somebody, for example as a downloadable server package.
What we do anyway
- We keep Pumpkin’s copyright notices and licence text with the software, and we credit its authors.
- We do not remove or hide the licence, and we do not claim that Pumpkin’s code is ours.
- If a copy of Butternut ever leaves our servers, it is accompanied by its licence and an offer of its complete source code.
- Questions about the source or the licence? Email [email protected].
JetRift’s own software
The JetRift website, dashboard, gateway and node programs are separate programs written by us. They start the game server and talk to it through its console and its normal network port. They are not a modified version of Pumpkin, and they are not covered by the GPLv3. The JetRift name and logo are ours.
Other things included
- Minecraft game data and assets (block, item and entity lists, data packs, translations): © Mojang Studios / Microsoft. They are used for compatibility under the Minecraft EULA and the Usage Guidelines. They are not covered by the GPLv3.
- Bedrock and Geyser mapping data: © GeyserMC and contributors, MIT licence.
- Conventional tags (Fabric and NeoForge common tags): Apache-2.0 / MIT.
- Rust libraries used by JetRift’s own programs are under their own permissive licences (mostly MIT or Apache-2.0).
Not affiliated with Mojang
Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang Studios / Microsoft. JetRift is an independent service and is not made by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Mojang or Microsoft. Players must own Minecraft: Java Edition to join.
Your servers and plugins
Everything you put on your server stays yours (see the Terms of Service). Plugins that JetRift provides, such as the AFK kick plugin, are ours or their authors’ and are for use on JetRift only; they are not part of the worlds you can download in a backup.