How to use the license generator
- Select the license type from the dropdown menu.
- Enter the year of first publication or creation.
- Type the copyright holder name, such as your full name or company.
- Click Generate to produce the license text.
- Copy the output into a file named
LICENSEorLICENSE.txtat the root of your repository. For Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0 and MPL-2.0, use the output as a source file header and download the full text from the link in the result note.
How This Generator License Tool Works
This generator license tool inserts your chosen year and copyright holder into the standard text of each license. For MIT, BSD-2-Clause, BSD-3-Clause and ISC the full legal text is produced, and it matches the text published in the SPDX license list. The Unlicense text is the one published at unlicense.org. These texts are short enough to include verbatim in every distribution.
For longer copyleft or corporate licenses such as Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0 and MPL-2.0, the tool outputs the standard short notice that projects place at the top of source files, and the result note links to the official full text, which is what belongs in your LICENSE file. The Unlicense requires no copyright holder because it dedicates the work to the public domain.
Choosing Between Permissive and Copyleft Licenses
Permissive licenses let others do almost anything with your code, including using it in proprietary products, as long as they keep the copyright notice. The MIT license is the most popular choice on GitHub. A typical mit license generator produces a single paragraph granting broad rights with no warranty.
Copyleft licenses require derivative works to carry the same license. GPL-3.0 is the strongest common copyleft license: if you distribute a work based on GPL-licensed code, you must release it under GPL-3.0 too. MPL-2.0 is a weaker copyleft that applies only to individual files rather than entire projects. Apache-2.0 sits between these categories: it is permissive but includes an explicit patent grant and requires notice of modifications.
Common Open Source Licenses Compared
The table below summarizes the key differences between the licenses this generator license utility supports.
| License | Type | Patent Grant | Requires Disclosure |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIT | Permissive | No | No |
| Apache-2.0 | Permissive | Yes | Changes noted |
| BSD-2-Clause | Permissive | No | No |
| BSD-3-Clause | Permissive | No | No |
| ISC | Permissive | No | No |
| GPL-3.0 | Copyleft | Yes | Source required |
| MPL-2.0 | Weak Copyleft | Yes | File-level source |
| Unlicense | Public Domain | No | No |
Where to Place Your License File
Convention dictates placing the generated text in a file named LICENSE or LICENSE.txt at the root of your repository. Hosting platforms like GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket automatically detect this file and display the license type on the repository page.
For Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0 and MPL-2.0 the generated text is the short notice meant for source file headers. Put the complete license text, downloaded from the official link in the result note, in your LICENSE file. Pair your license file with a README that explains how others can contribute and what terms apply.
Common Mistakes When Adding a License
One frequent error is leaving the placeholder text unchanged. Always replace the year and copyright holder fields before publishing. Another mistake is mixing incompatible licenses in a single project without understanding the implications. For example, combining GPL-3.0 code with Apache-2.0 code is allowed, but the resulting work must be GPL-3.0.
Some developers forget that omitting a license entirely does not make code public domain. Without an explicit license, default copyright laws apply and others have no legal right to use, modify or distribute your work. Choosing a recognised license makes your intent clear, although this tool is not legal advice.
Worked examples
| Example | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| MIT for a personal project | License type: mit; Year: 2024; Copyright holder: Jane Doe | Copyright (c) 2024 Jane Doe / Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy / of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal / in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights / to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell / copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is / furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: / The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all / copies or substantial portions of the Software. / THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR / IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, / FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE / AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER / LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, / OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE / SOFTWARE. |
| Apache 2.0 notice | License type: apache-2.0; Year: 2024; Copyright holder: Acme Corp | Copyright (c) 2024 Acme Corp / Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); / you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. / You may obtain a copy of the License at / https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 / Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software / distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, / WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. / See the License for the specific language governing permissions and / limitations under the License. |
| BSD 3-Clause | License type: bsd-3; Year: 2023; Copyright holder: University of Example | Copyright (c) 2023 University of Example / Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without / modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met: / 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this / list of conditions and the following disclaimer. / 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, / this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation / and/or other materials provided with the distribution. / 3. Neither the name of the copyright holder nor the names of its / contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from / this software without specific prior written permission. / THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" / AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE / IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE / DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE / FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL / DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR / SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER / CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, / OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE / OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. |
| Unlicense (public domain) | License type: unlicense | This is free and unencumbered software released into the public domain. / Anyone is free to copy, modify, publish, use, compile, sell, or / distribute this software, either in source code form or as a compiled / binary, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and by any / means. / In jurisdictions that recognize copyright laws, the author or authors / of this software dedicate any and all copyright interest in the / software to the public domain. We make this dedication for the benefit / of the public at large and to the detriment of our heirs and / successors. We intend this dedication to be an overt act of / relinquishment in perpetuity of all present and future rights to this / software under copyright law. / THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, / EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF / MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. / IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR / OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, / ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR / OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE. / For more information, please refer to <https://unlicense.org> |
FAQ
Is this tool legal advice?
No. This generator license tool provides standard templates for informational purposes. Consult a qualified attorney for legal decisions about which license fits your specific situation.
What is the difference between BSD-2-Clause and BSD-3-Clause?
BSD-2-Clause has two conditions: retaining the copyright notice and the disclaimer. BSD-3-Clause adds a third condition prohibiting the use of the copyright holder's name for endorsement or promotion without permission.
Can I change my project's license later?
You can change the license for future versions if you hold all the copyright. However, previously released versions remain under the original license, and contributions from others may complicate relicensing.
Why does Apache-2.0 only show a notice instead of the full text?
The Apache License 2.0 is several pages long. The standard boilerplate notice shown here goes in the header of each source file, and the complete license text from apache.org goes in your LICENSE file.
Do I need to fill in the copyright holder for the Unlicense?
No. The Unlicense dedicates your work to the public domain, so no copyright holder or year is needed. The tool generates the standard public-domain dedication text regardless of those fields.
Does this license generator upload my data?
No. Everything runs locally in your browser. Your name, year and selected license never leave your device.