Open source software is software with publicly available source code that is licensed to allow use, inspection, modification, and distribution by anyone. Source code is the human-readable instructions that tell a computer what to do. Source code is written in a programming language such as Python, Java, or C++.

An open source license is an intellectual property license and legal agreement that grants users certain rights to use, inspect, distribute, and modify the software. The OSPO has put together a number of resources to help the Hopkins community understand different license types and their implications for a project.

Learn More

• Choose a License. “Choose an Open Source License.” Accessed September 29, 2023. https://choosealicense.com/.
• “Disseminating Your Open Work.” Accessed December 7, 2023. https://openr.it/best-practices/disseminating.
• “FSF Licensing & Compliance Team — Free Software Foundation — Working Together for Free Software.” Accessed December 7, 2023. https://www.fsf.org/licensing/.
• Morin, Andrew, Jennifer Urban, and Piotr Sliz. “A Quick Guide to Software Licensing for the Scientist-Programmer.” PLOS Computational Biology 8, no. 7 (July 26, 2012): e1002598. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1002598.
• Open Source Initiative. “OSI Approved Licenses,” September 16, 2022. https://opensource.org/licenses/.
• Skaife, David. “A Short Guide to Open Source Licenses.” Nationwide Technology (blog), September 16, 2021. https://medium.com/nationwide-technology/a-short-guide-to-open-source-licenses-cf5b1c329edd.