licensing
Safeguard articles tagged "licensing" — guides, analysis, and best practices for software supply chain and application security.
15 articles
How to Choose an Open Source License
Choosing a license for your project comes down to how much control you want over downstream use. This guide walks through the decision — permissive, weak copyleft, or strong copyleft.
Open Source License Comparison: MIT, Apache, BSD, GPL, and More
A side-by-side comparison of the major open-source licenses — MIT, BSD, Apache 2.0, MPL, LGPL, GPL, and AGPL — across permissions, conditions, copyleft strength, and patent handling.
What Is the LGPL License? Linking and Weak Copyleft
The GNU Lesser GPL is a weak-copyleft license designed for libraries. It lets proprietary software link to LGPL code without becoming GPL. Here is how the linking rules actually work.
What Is the AGPL License? The Network Copyleft, Explained
The GNU Affero GPL closes the SaaS loophole: it extends copyleft to software used over a network. Here is what AGPLv3 requires, why companies treat it cautiously, and what it means for you.
What Is the Mozilla Public License (MPL 2.0)?
The Mozilla Public License 2.0 is a file-level copyleft license that sits between permissive and strong copyleft. Here is how its per-file reciprocity works and what it means for your project.
What Is the BSD License? 2-Clause vs 3-Clause Explained
The BSD licenses are a family of short, permissive licenses. This guide explains the 2-clause and 3-clause variants, what each permits, and what they mean for compliance.
What Is the GPL License? Copyleft Explained
The GNU General Public License is the best-known copyleft license. This guide explains what it permits, its source-disclosure obligations, GPLv2 vs GPLv3, and what it means for your project.
What Is the Apache 2.0 License? A Complete Guide
The Apache License 2.0 is a permissive license with an explicit patent grant and a few conditions that set it apart from MIT and BSD. Here is what it permits, requires, and means for compliance.
What Is the MIT License? A Plain-English Guide
The MIT License is one of the shortest and most permissive open-source licenses in existence. Here is exactly what it lets you do, what it requires, and what it means for compliance.
Open Source License Scanning: How It Actually Works
How open source license scanning identifies oss license obligations across a dependency tree, and what open source compliance management software actually automates versus flags for review.
The MIT License, Meaning in Plain English
The MIT license meaning, stripped of legalese: do almost anything you want with the code, keep the copyright notice, and the author owes you nothing if it breaks.
Software License Models: A Comparison
Types of software license models split into three broad camps — proprietary, permissive open source, and copyleft — plus the newer source-available middle ground companies keep inventing to protect commercial interests.