Start with the consequence
Choose obligations you can keep.
Compare seven widely recognised open-source licenses by what they permit, what they require when code travels, whether patent use is explicit, and how far reciprocity reaches. Then copy the exact SPDX identifier your tooling expects.
Obligation spectrum
Permissive licenses mostly ask you to preserve notices. Copyleft adds share-back duties when work is distributed; AGPL extends that trigger to network use.
Compare obligations
● required · — absentThree questions before choosing
How should improvements travel?
Decide whether preserving a notice is enough, or whether distributed and hosted modifications should return as source.
Do patent terms need to be explicit?
Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, and AGPL-3.0 list patent use among their permissions in this dataset.
Can your release process comply?
The strongest license is not automatically the best one. Pick obligations your documentation, build, and distribution flow can satisfy.
This reference is educational, not legal advice. Verify the canonical text and consult qualified counsel for a decision with material legal consequences. 1 profile in this set lists no conditions.