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NagarjunShanmugaraj's avatar
NagarjunShanmugaraj
Copper Contributor
Dec 30, 2025

Clarification on redistributability of MSSQL JDBC Driver 8.4 components

I am reviewing the licensing terms for Microsoft JDBC Driver 8.4 for SQL Server, specifically for the native authentication library mssql-jdbc_auth-8.4.1.x64.dll and mssql-jdbc-8.4.1.jre8.jar.

The license terms state that certain components are redistributable if they are listed in a REDIST.TXT file included with the software. However, in the JDBC Driver 8.4 package (downloaded from the official Microsoft site), we are unable to locate REDIST.TXT file.

https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2137600

Could someone please clarify the following:

  1. Are mssql-jdbc_auth-8.4.1.x64.dll and mssql-jdbc-8.4.1.jre8.jar considered redistributable under the Microsoft JDBC Driver 8.4 license terms?
  2. If so, is there official documentation or an alternative location where the redistributable components for this driver are listed?
  3. If one or both components are not redistributable, what is the recommended and supported approach for applications that require integrated authentication when deployed to customer environments?                                                                                                                                                                                   

     This clarification is important for us to ensure compliance with Microsoft licensing requirements when distributing our application.

Thank you for your assistance.

1 Reply

  • SivertSolem's avatar
    SivertSolem
    Iron Contributor

    I totally agree that the license.txt file seems obtuse. Maybe a professional at reading legalese can decipher it better.

    The documentation for the jdbc drivers does state that versions 6.0 and up are redistributable, but of course references the licence.txt, so...

    Overview - JDBC Driver for SQL Server | Microsoft Learn

    Redistribution

    The JDBC Driver versions 6.0 and up are redistributable. Review the Distributable Code clause in the license agreements.

    The JDBC Driver versions 4.x are obsolete. Support for 4.x expired before 2018.

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