Understanding Software Licenses
This guide provides a comprehensive list of all software licenses used in the Awesome-Selfhosted project. Each license has specific terms and conditions for use, modification, and distribution of the software.All licenses listed use SPDX (Software Package Data Exchange) identifiers for standardization and clarity.
License Categories
Software licenses in this list fall into several broad categories:Copyleft Licenses
Require derivative works to be released under the same or compatible license (e.g., GPL, AGPL)
Permissive Licenses
Allow more freedom in how software is used and redistributed (e.g., MIT, BSD, Apache)
Public Domain
Software released with no copyright restrictions (e.g., CC0, Unlicense)
Specialized Licenses
Licenses with specific requirements or use cases (e.g., EUPL, MPL)
Complete License List
Below is the complete list of licenses used in the Awesome-Selfhosted project:Permissive Licenses
Permissive Licenses
These licenses place minimal restrictions on how software can be used, modified, and redistributed.
0BSD- BSD Zero-Clause LicenceApache-2.0- Apache License, Version 2.0Artistic-2.0- Artistic License Version 2.0BSD-2-Clause- BSD 2-clause “Simplified”BSD-2-Clause-FreeBSD- BSD 2-Clause FreeBSD LicenseBSD-3-Clause- BSD 3-Clause “New” or “Revised”BSD-3-Clause-Attribution- BSD with attributionBSD-4-Clause- BSD 4-clause “Original”ISC- Internet Systems Consortium LicenseMIT- MIT LicenseZlib- Zlib/libpng License
Copyleft Licenses (GPL Family)
Copyleft Licenses (GPL Family)
These licenses require derivative works to be distributed under the same license terms.
AGPL-3.0- GNU Affero General Public License 3.0
Network copyleft: requires source code distribution even for network servicesGPL-1.0- GNU General Public License 1.0GPL-2.0- GNU General Public License 2.0GPL-3.0- GNU General Public License 3.0LGPL-2.1- Lesser General Public License 2.1LGPL-3.0- Lesser General Public License 3.0
Mozilla & Eclipse Licenses
Mozilla & Eclipse Licenses
Weak copyleft licenses that allow mixing with proprietary code.
EPL-1.0- Eclipse Public License, Version 1.0EPL-2.0- Eclipse Public License, Version 2.0MPL-1.1- Mozilla Public License Version 1.1MPL-2.0- Mozilla Public License
Creative Commons & Public Domain
Creative Commons & Public Domain
Licenses for public domain dedication and creative works.
CC-BY-SA-3.0- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 LicenseCC-BY-SA-4.0- Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 LicenseCC0-1.0- Public Domain/Creative Common Zero 1.0Unlicense- The Unlicense
Corporate & Institutional Licenses
Corporate & Institutional Licenses
Licenses created by corporations and institutions.
AAL- Attribution Assurance LicenseAPSL-2.0- Apple Public Source License, Version 2.0CDDL-1.0- Common Development and Distribution LicenseCECILL-B- CEA CNRS INRIA Logiciel LibreCPAL-1.0- Common Public Attribution License Version 1.0ECL-2.0- Educational Community License, Version 2.0EUPL-1.2- European Union Public License 1.2IPL-1.0- IBM Public LicenseOSL-3.0- Open Software License 3.0
Specialized & Other Licenses
Specialized & Other Licenses
Various specialized licenses and unique cases.
Beerware- Beerware License
Humorous license: “Buy me a beer if you like this software”CAL-1.0- Cryptographic Autonomy License 1.0Ruby- Ruby LicenseSendmail- Sendmail LicenseWTFPL- Do What the Fuck You Want to Public LicenseZPL-2.0- Zope Public License 2.0
License Comparison
Here’s a quick comparison of the most commonly used licenses in the project:| License | Type | Share-Alike | Patent Grant | Commercial Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIT | Permissive | No | No | Yes |
| Apache-2.0 | Permissive | No | Yes | Yes |
| GPL-3.0 | Copyleft | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AGPL-3.0 | Network Copyleft | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BSD-3-Clause | Permissive | No | No | Yes |
| MPL-2.0 | Weak Copyleft | File-level | Yes | Yes |
Choosing a License
When contributing software to the list, ensure you correctly identify the license:Multiple Licenses
Some software is released under multiple licenses. In these cases:- Use
/for dual-licensing where users can choose:Apache-2.0/MIT - List the primary or most permissive license first
Resources
SPDX License List
Official SPDX license reference
Choose a License
Help choosing a license for your project
Free Software Definition
Learn about Free Software
OSI Approved Licenses
Open Source Initiative approved licenses
License Terms Summary
The Awesome-Selfhosted list itself is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, meaning you can share and adapt the list with attribution under the same license.