An analysis of the ClearlyDefined 2023 dataset reveals that MIT and Apache 2.0 are the most popular open‑source licenses overall, while each language ecosystem shows distinct licensing preferences and a concerning share of components lacking proper license metadata.
This article presents a concise, five‑minute visual guide—created by Ukrainian developer Paul Bagwell—that clarifies the key differences among the six most popular open‑source licenses (GPL, BSD, MIT, Mozilla, Apache, LGPL), helping developers quickly decide which license best fits their projects.
The 2019 analysis of over 4 million open‑source packages shows permissive licenses like MIT and Apache 2.0 gaining market share while copyleft licenses such as GPL are losing popularity, highlighting a shift toward minimal‑restriction licensing for developers and businesses.
With hundreds of open‑source licenses available, this concise guide—featuring a two‑minute diagram by Ukrainian developer Paul Bagwell—clarifies the key differences among the six most popular licenses (GPL, BSD, MIT, Mozilla, Apache, LGPL), helping you select the right one effortlessly.
