FAQ

General

What is the Wolfram Engine Community Edition?

It's a free version of the Wolfram Engine licensed for non-production use. The Wolfram Engine implements the Wolfram Language with interfaces suitable for use in software projects. The Wolfram Engine is the heart of Wolfram products such as Mathematica, Wolfram|One and Wolfram|Alpha.

Where does the Wolfram Engine Community Edition run?

The Wolfram Engine Community Edition is downloaded to run locally on your computer system. It runs under Linux, Mac and Windows, and can be deployed on desktop, server, virtualized, distributed, parallelized and embedded systems. (The Wolfram Cloud provides immediate cloud access to the Wolfram Language.)

Can I run the Wolfram Engine Community Edition in the cloud?

You can run it as local software in the virtual environments of standard cloud providers such as AWS. The Wolfram Cloud (and Wolfram Enterprise Private Cloud) provides a complete cloud environment for the Wolfram Language.

How does the Wolfram Engine Community Edition connect into a software stack?

You can call the Wolfram Engine Community Edition from a command line, as a script, through sockets and through ZeroMQ. You can also call it through client libraries for Python, Java, .NET and C/C++, as well as from systems such as Excel, Jupyter and Unity. (Support for direct connection into web servers is under development.)

How does the Wolfram Engine Community Edition connect with developer tools?

You can edit and manage your Wolfram Language code with standard IDEs, editors and tools such as Eclipse, IntelliJ IDEA, Atom, Vim, Visual Studio Code and Git.

Do I have to download the Wolfram Engine to try the Wolfram Language?

No. You can try it immediately and interactively in the Wolfram Cloud.

How does the Wolfram Engine Community Edition relate to Mathematica?

It's the same core engine, but with a different interface and different licensing. Mathematica is used primarily for interactive computing, with the Wolfram Notebook interface. The Wolfram Engine Community Edition is intended to be called by other programs, using a variety of program communication interfaces. The Wolfram Engine Community Edition is licensed for pre-production use in developing software. Unlike Mathematica, it is not licensed for generating outputs for commercial or organizational use.

What is the relation to the Wolfram Engine on the Raspberry Pi?

The Wolfram Engine bundled as part of the Raspbian operating system (tagged as "Wolfram Language") is the same software as the Wolfram Engine Community Edition, but adapted for Raspberry Pi, and with a license that allows for noncommercial production use.

Is the Wolfram Engine Community Edition an open-source project?

No. It is a specially licensed version of a product that has been in continuous commercial development for 30+ years. See below for information on including it in open-source projects. Note that Wolfram has been active in the open-source community for many years, and some components of the Wolfram Engine and its related tooling are open source.

Installation and Use

How do I install the Wolfram Engine?

Download and run the installer. See our support article for more details.

How is the Wolfram Engine activated?

Launch WolframScript, located inside the installed product layout (see our support article). When it prompts, log in with the same account you provided during the download. This information is used to connect to the cloud and check for the two free keys associated with your account.

What should I do if WolframScript says my account has no valid keys?

Two keys are assigned to each account. If you have not logged in, you should do so to get the keys associated with your account. If both of the keys have already been used, you can contact us to reset them.

What is WolframScript?

WolframScript is a program for running the Wolfram Engine from a command line or script. It is included in the download bundle of the Wolfram Engine.

How do I run Wolfram Language scripts?

On Mac and Linux, put #!wolframscript at the beginning of the script, and make sure the WolframScript program is on your path. Wolfram Language scripts conventionally have file extension .wls. On Windows, the WolframScript installer associates the .wls extension with WolframScript. See the documentation for more information.

Licensing and Terms of Use

Note: "Wolfram Engine Community Edition" is abbreviated as "Free Engine".

Can I use the Free Engine to develop a commercial product?

Yes. You can use it during the development phase, and you can use for it for demos and testing. You must get a production license before deploying your product.

Can I use the Free Engine to do R&D?

Yes, if your R&D is in service of developing a product. However, the Free Engine license does not permit you to use it for the express purpose of producing output (e.g. papers or reports) for commercial or organizational use. For this, you should use Wolfram|One, Mathematica or other Wolfram products, which also provide a Wolfram Notebook interface more suitable for this usage pattern.

How is the licensing different if my use is not commercial?

Even if your project is not commercial, you must still get a production license if you wish to deploy your project for end users to use. If you are at a university, you may have a Wolfram site license that will govern your use of the Wolfram Engine, and will permit additional uses, including various forms of deployment. Contact us for more information.

Can I make a prototype using the Free Engine?

Yes. The Free Engine license permits prototyping of software products. You can create a prototype and use it for demos and testing. However, to put your product into production, you must get a production license.

Can I provide paid services using the Free Engine?

Yes, if your services consist of the development of products with the Wolfram Engine. You can use the Free Engine to produce demos, but not for deployment. In addition, if your deliverables are direct output (e.g. reports), then this is not permitted with the Free Engine; Wolfram|One or other Wolfram products are intended for this use.

Can I create a web service or API with the Free Engine?

Yes, you can create a prototype or demo of a web service or API. However, you need to get a production license before your service goes into production. This applies even if your web service is to be used only internally within an organization. We consider a web service or API to be "in production" if its output is used for purposes other than demos or testing.

Can I teach a course using the Free Engine?

The Free Engine is for software development. Its license does not cover providing educational services. Wolfram has extensive licensing programs for education. If you are at a university, you may be covered by a Wolfram site license, which will allow full educational use of the Wolfram Engine. Wolfram also provides a variety of free educational tools, including a version of Wolfram Programming Lab. Contact us for special educational licensing if you wish to teach a software development course with the Free Engine.

Can I use the Free Engine in an open-source project?

Yes. You can use the Free Engine in developing your project, as well as for demos and testing. However, the Free Engine license does not permit end-user use, except when this use is for further development. For end-user uses, users must have a separate license for the Wolfram Engine. You may already have an appropriate license if you have a Wolfram product such as Wolfram|One or Mathematica, or you are at an organization that has a Wolfram site license. Open-source projects can apply for a special Wolfram Engine license that allows end users to freely use the Free Engine as part of their use of the project.

How can I get a production license?

There are different types of production licenses for different situations. Contact us to discuss your options.

How much does a production license cost?

It depends on the volume and application. For distribution inside a software or hardware product, typical per-copy costs are in the range of $5–$100.

Does my Wolfram|One or Mathematica license cover the Wolfram Engine?

Yes. You can download the Free Engine and use it subject to the terms of your Wolfram|One or Mathematica license.

Do I have to authenticate each copy of the Free Engine?

Yes. Each copy must be authenticated once with the Wolfram Cloud. The authentication does not expire, though Wolfram reserves the right to terminate use in the event of abuse. Production licenses can allow Wolfram Engines to be deployed without separate authentication.

Can copies of the Free Engine be redistributed?

No. To maintain versioning and security, we require that copies be directly downloaded from us. Production licenses can, however, permit redistribution of Wolfram Engines. If you operate a software distribution service, contact us for information on providing copies of the Free Engine through your service.