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Software Licenses

This page provides an overview of the most widely used software licenses, focusing on open-source options. Each license includes a summary, its importance, use cases, and notable examples.

1. GNU General Public License (GPL)

  • Why it’s important: Ensures strong copyleft, requiring derivative works to remain open-source.
  • Use case: Best for projects that prioritize openness and collaboration while preventing proprietary modifications.
  • Notable examples: Linux Kernel, GNU utilities.

2. MIT License

  • Why it’s important: A permissive license that allows for broad usage while only requiring attribution.
  • Use case: Ideal for projects seeking maximum adoption with minimal restrictions.
  • Notable examples: React, Node.js, Ruby on Rails.

3. Apache License 2.0

  • Why it’s important: Includes explicit patent rights, allowing both open-source and proprietary use.
  • Use case: Suitable for projects that need patent protection while enabling commercial use.
  • Notable examples: Kubernetes, TensorFlow, Apache HTTP Server.

4. BSD Licenses (2-Clause, 3-Clause)

  • Why it’s important: Similar to MIT but with additional clauses for liability limitation and non-endorsement.
  • Use case: Good for software that aims for wide reuse with minimal legal overhead.
  • Notable examples: FreeBSD, OpenBSD, SQLite.

5. Mozilla Public License (MPL)

  • Why it’s important: A hybrid license that requires modifications to licensed files to remain open-source while allowing proprietary integration.
  • Use case: Ideal for balancing openness with commercial interests.
  • Notable examples: Mozilla Firefox, Thunderbird.

6. Eclipse Public License (EPL)

  • Why it’s important: Stronger copyleft than MPL but more business-friendly than GPL.
  • Use case: Often used in enterprise-level open-source development.
  • Notable examples: Eclipse IDE, IBM projects.

7. Creative Commons Licenses (CC0, BY, BY-SA, etc.)

  • Why it’s important: Commonly used for non-software content but sometimes applicable to documentation.
  • Use case: Suitable for sharing documentation, media, and data.
  • Notable examples: Wikipedia content, Open Data projects.

8. Unlicense & CC0 (Public Domain)

  • Why it’s important: Removes all copyright restrictions, allowing full public domain usage.
  • Use case: Best for projects where unrestricted reuse is the goal.
  • Notable examples: Some utility libraries and small scripts.

9. Affero GPL (AGPL)

  • Why it’s important: Extends GPL to network-based applications, ensuring modifications remain open-source.
  • Use case: Ideal for SaaS and web-based applications to prevent closed-source forks.
  • Notable examples: Nextcloud, Open edX.

10. Microsoft Public License (Ms-PL)

  • Why it’s important: A permissive license from Microsoft, allowing broad use with some restrictions.
  • Use case: Useful for Microsoft-related open-source projects.
  • Notable examples: Some .NET libraries.