# Documentation license **URL:** \ **Category:** Elasticsearch\ **Created:** [January 18, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/documentation-license/164852 "2019-01-18T19:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kronuz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/kronuz/32/39948_2.png) [@Kronuz](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/Kronuz)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 7:28pm UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/documentation-license/164852/1 "2019-01-18T19:28:45Z")
I'm seeking clarification about what is the license under which Elasticsearch documentation is released. Apparently some documentation (definitive guide) is under Creative Commons ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)) but that'd mean documentation cannot be used for anything else and also that it cannot be modified; however, the actual documentation for Elasticsearch lacks information about what is the definitive license for it. ---
**Author:** ![DavidTurner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/davidturner/32/22453_2.png) [@DavidTurner](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/DavidTurner)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 10:30am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/documentation-license/164852/2 "2019-01-19T10:30:12Z")
The [reference documentation](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/index.html) is hosted on the [elastic.co](https://www.elastic.co) website so as far as I know it is covered by that [website's terms of use](https://www.elastic.co/legal/terms-of-use). If you want to do something that isn't covered by these terms, or you have specific questions about what you legally can and cannot do with the documentation, you can email the legal team at [legal@elastic.co](mailto:legal@elastic.co). ---
**Author:** ![DavidTurner](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/user_avatar/discuss.elastic.co/davidturner/32/22453_2.png) [@DavidTurner](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/DavidTurner)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/documentation-license/164852/3 "2019-01-19T10:41:23Z")
I see you also opened an [issue on Github about this](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/issues/37616). The _source_ for the documentation is hosted in Github, and the [licence for this is Apache 2](https://github.com/elastic/elasticsearch/blob/9b32f57cf1a3103c1e845840119adc7f4b2bc29d/LICENSE.txt) since there is no LICENSE file present anywhere in the `docs` subtree: > `Outside of the "x-pack" folder, source code in a given file is licensed under the Apache License Version 2.0, unless otherwise noted at the beginning of the file or a LICENSE file present in the directory subtree declares a separate license.` ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/elastic/original/3X/1/a/1ac57faf039f6b580b3f104ef42a2a89e41014de.png) [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 10:41am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/documentation-license/164852/4 "2019-02-16T10:41:27Z")
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