Many projects, e.g. GitLab, BitWarden, EasyRedmine, use open source software licenses. Their code is publicly available, and the services can be self-hosted.
Of course they can charge users for providing the infrastructure and hosting the cloud service.

In the following I'll use BitWarden as an example.

BitWarden also [charges users for self-hosting][1] such a service, although with client and server code being [open source][2], it can (at least partially) be hosted on-premise for free, and [people do it][3].

*The (A)GPL parts of the software seem to be sufficient for some users, so the non-cost-free parts rather seem to provide advanced features for enterprises.*

As defined [here][4], it is not allowed to charge royalties for the software under *approved open source licenses* such as *GPL* and *AGPL*, and BitWarden complies with that by publishing some modules ([CommCore][5], [Sso][6]) with a [different license][7].


**How does that license model work in practice/technically?**

The code under those *non-cost-free* folders *Sso* and *CommCore* seems still to be provided with sources.
How can BitWarden prevent a company from running it for free if the code is available?

  * if there is a license check in the provided source code, imho it could just be removed (*), and thus BitWarden is relying on users being honest?
  * or is there a way to enforce the usage of a license by some technical means?


(*) *I have no intentions of doing so, this is just for the sake of understanding the business model and technology. It may be illegal to remove a license check if the code is published is under [BitWarden license][8].*


  [1]: https://bitwarden.com/help/licensing-on-premise/
  [2]: https://github.com/bitwarden/server
  [3]: https://www.makeuseof.com/how-host-self-host-bitwarden/
  [4]: https://opensource.org/osd
  [5]: https://github.com/bitwarden/server/tree/master/bitwarden_license/src/CommCore
  [6]: https://github.com/bitwarden/server/tree/master/bitwarden_license/src/Sso
  [7]: https://github.com/bitwarden/server/blob/master/bitwarden_license/README.md
  [8]: https://github.com/bitwarden/server/blob/master/LICENSE_BITWARDEN.txt