Copyleft · share source with recipients
GPL v3, in plain English.
TL;DR
You can run it and change it privately. If you give others copies of the program or a modified version, provide the corresponding source under the GPL. You can charge money. Running it as a web service alone doesn’t trigger that source-sharing requirement.
Source: SPDX · GPL v3 license text ↗What can I do with it?
- Self-host it for yourself
- Yes.
- Use it for your business
- Yes. Commercial use is allowed.
- Change the code
- Yes.
- Keep your changes private
- Yes, if you don’t distribute copies of the covered program.
- Share or sell copies
- Yes. Meet GPL source-sharing and notice requirements.
What do I need to do?
- When distributing covered code, preserve notices, include the GPL and mark your changes.
- Give recipients access to the corresponding source as the GPL requires; modified covered works stay under the GPL.
- Some distributed consumer products also require installation information.
“Copyleft” keeps covered redistributed software under the same license. Check the project’s exact version and exceptions.
A real-world example
You run a modified GPL app on your server. Hosting alone doesn’t require a public source release. Giving customers copies of that modified app brings the GPL’s distribution duties into play.
The code license and the hosting bill are separate.
A license tells you what you can do with the code. It doesn’t make Cloudflare, domains, email delivery or other services free. Check the project’s hosting notes as well.
This is a general explanation. The repository’s exact license, version, exceptions and package-specific terms govern. Other packages, dependencies and images can have different licenses.
Read the complete license terms ↗