License Generator - Generate Open Source License Text Online Free
Generate complete open source license text with your name and year substituted
Generators
Generator
How to Use
1Select the license type (MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0, BSD-2-Clause, ISC, or Unlicense)
2Enter your full name or organization name
3Confirm or adjust the copyright year
4Copy the generated license text into a LICENSE file in your project
Frequently Asked Questions
MIT and ISC are the most permissive and commonly used for open source libraries. Apache-2.0 adds patent protection. GPL-3.0 requires derivative works to also be open source (copyleft). BSD-2-Clause is similar to MIT. Unlicense releases your work to the public domain with no conditions.
Save the generated text to a file named LICENSE or LICENSE.txt in the root of your project repository. Most package managers and platforms like GitHub will automatically detect and display it.
MIT, ISC, Apache-2.0, and BSD-2-Clause all allow commercial use. GPL-3.0 allows commercial use but requires that distributed derivative works also be GPL-licensed. Unlicense places the work in the public domain, allowing any use.
Including the year is a common practice and recommended for clarity, but it is not strictly required in all jurisdictions. Using the current year or the year of first publication is the standard convention.