Learn Which Open Source License Suits You Best!

Open source technology has a basic requirement for developers, and that’s choosing the most appropriate open source license. Now if any developer is not well aware of how to choose the best open source license for any project, then it may pose serious difficulties for the person. That’s why open source license management provider Protecode has released a simple overview on how to choose the best license.

The company says licensing an open source project is very essential as the future of the project is based on the licensing process. There are different licenses available for developers and the main four among them are – Apache 2.0, MIT, LGPL v3 and GPLv3.

Apache 2.0 is a license which requires preservation of copyright and disclaimer notices. It also allows the user use an open source software freely and developers also own a right to the software’s patents. There is a clause in this license, called State Changes, which asks developers to notify the licensing committee whenever any file is modified in a project.

MIT License is a free software license, which is provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It allows users do whatever they wish to do with a code but the file should include the original copyright and license text all the time.

LGPLv3 is basically known as the GNU Lesser General Public License which allows users to connect to the original LGPL software. Users are allowed to make changes to the software and distribute the same, but they also need to explain all the modifications in detail. The source code should also be provided and LGPL should license them for final release.

GPLv3 is a software license which provides assurance to end users that they can freely use, study, share and also change the software. They are supposed to keep a track on the changes and dates in the source files, and under GPL, code and modifications need to be released. Through GPL, the application can be distributed for commercial use and they should also open source the application under the same GPL license.