Hello,
We’re a public cloud service providers and would like to setup a billing system for nextcloud. We also would like to not opensource our code so if an independent app can be developed that would be great.
We’d also like to develop mobile applications for iOS and Android and integrate in-app purchases.
Please let me know what you guys think. I am aware NextCloud is licensed under the GPL license and requires all changes to core published and shared.
Let me know what you guys think. Also if anyone would like to work on this gig, hit me up.
That sounds like an interesting project. You’re right to be cautious about the GPL — since Nextcloud is under the AGPL, if you modify the core code or extend it in certain ways (depending on how tightly integrated your billing is), you’d typically have to release that code. However, if you build a completely independent app or external integration (for example via Nextcloud’s APIs or WebDAV), you could keep that proprietary, as it wouldn’t be considered a derivative work in the same way.
As for the mobile apps with in-app purchases, that’s definitely doable. You could have them connect to your Nextcloud instance via standard APIs, while handling subscriptions or credits through App Store and Google Play billing.
Overall, it’s a solid idea, just make sure to carefully separate your proprietary parts from anything directly modifying or embedding into Nextcloud core. Also, consider talking to a developer or lawyer familiar with open-source licensing to stay on the safe side.
Good luck — sounds like it could fill a real niche for managed Nextcloud services!