[UK-AL]

"Windows Server 2012 R2 configured to run Web Workloads do not require CALs or External Connectors. Web workloads, also referred to as an internet web solution, are publically accessible (e.g. accessible outside of the firewall) and consist only of web pages, web sites, web applications, web services, and/or POP3 mail serving. Access to content, information, and/or applications within the internet web solution must be publically accessible. In other words, they cannot be restricted to you or your affiliate’s employees. "

[cmdrfred]

SQL server != Windows Server

That also appears to only cover web servers that do not have any login capability. Why on earth would you spend that kind of money to host a static site?

[UK-AL]

SQL sever doesn't have a "Data center" license.

You would license SQL sever on a core based licensing model, which doesn't use CAL's.

If anyone can purchase a login to your website, that's still classed as public. What its means is internal apps require licenses.

[cmdrfred]

My whole point has been that Microsoft solutions are expensive. Is 6.5K per core cheap to you?[0]

[0]https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cloud-platform/sql-server-pr...

[UK-AL]

Relative to salaries required to get similar features setup on open source databases with support, yes.

EnterpriseDB which is basically support for PostGres is almost as expensive.

[brazzledazzle]

It's for services available to the public. So if you wanted to build a site that required payment to sign up you could do so.