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Software Must Have a LICENSE File

This is one of the tier 1 standards. See full list on the main page.

Short description

A license file is a document attached to the software repository that defines how the software may be used and distributed.

Importance of this standard

The license chosen for a software product defines how users and collaborators can work with the code, and it is what will truely define the product as "open source." Choosing the wrong license, or not choosing a license at all, may disrupt users from sharing and editing your software.

Options for this standard

The STScI style guide has made the recommendation of a BSD 3-Clause license with AURA set as the copyright holder. More information and an example of this type of license file can be found in the STScI Style Guide here

To explore more about possible licenses to use, see GitHub's website choosealicense.com or see a full list of licenses in their appendix

How to apply this standard

  • Create a blank LICENSE.txt or LICENSE.md file in the top level of your repository
  • Copy/paste the license you have chosen into this file
  • Change the copyright year if appropriate

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