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Releasing your work as open source can accelerate collaboration and innovation—but it also carries legal responsibilities. In most countries, creative work is automatically protected by copyright. Unless you grant explicit permission, others cannot use, modify, or redistribute your code.
Always include a license file in your repository. Without one, contributors and users risk infringing on your copyright.
A license clearly defines the permissions, conditions, and limitations for anyone who interacts with your project.
The image is a diagram illustrating open source licenses, highlighting the abilities to access, edit, and redistribute source code.

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What Makes a Project “Open Source”?

Simply making code publicly accessible doesn’t make it open source. True open source projects must adopt a license that complies with the Open Source Definition. That definition ensures your project remains free to use, modify, and distribute under clear terms.
The image shows a Google search bar with the text "any free work is open source" typed in. The background is dark, and the Google logo is prominently displayed above the search bar.
A license grants legal permission. Popular open source licenses are maintained by standard organizations to ensure consistency and clarity.
License NameKey PermissionsLearn More
MIT LicenseCommercial use, modification, distributionMIT License
GNU General Public License (GPL) v3Copyleft, distribution under same termsGPL v3
Apache License 2.0Patent grant, redistributionApache 2.0
BSD 2-Clause (“Simplified BSD”)Redistribution with attributionBSD 2-Clause
Mozilla Public License 2.0File-level copyleft, distributionMPL 2.0

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Examining a License on GitHub

Let’s explore how React’s team handles licensing. Visit the React GitHub repository and locate the LICENSE file:
  1. Navigate to the repo and click on LICENSE in the file list.
  2. You’ll see that React uses the MIT License.
  3. The sidebar also provides a quick summary of permissions and conditions.
The image shows a GitHub repository page displaying the MIT License for a project named "react-page." It includes details about permissions, limitations, and conditions of the license.
Each license carries unique obligations—such as attribution requirements or copyleft clauses—so review them carefully before choosing one for your project.

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References

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