LicensesGPL-3.0-only
Strong CopyleftOSI Approved
GNU GPL 3.0
A strong copyleft license that requires distributed derivative works to remain GPL-compatible and share source.
Choose this when preserving software freedom is more important than frictionless proprietary adoption.
Family
Strong Copyleft
Reciprocity
Full copyleft
Patent Grant
Included
Closed Source
Restricted
What It Lets You Do
- Modification, redistribution, private use, and commercial distribution.
- Broad reuse as long as downstream distribution remains GPL-compliant.
What It Requires
- Distributed derivatives must provide corresponding source under GPL terms.
- Notices, installation information in some contexts, and license text must be preserved.
- No additional downstream restrictions may be added.
Advantages
- Strongest mainstream reciprocity for distributed software.
- Makes your openness expectations unmistakably clear.
Tradeoffs
- High legal friction for many NuGet consumers.
- Often eliminates proprietary embedding entirely.
Restrictions And Gotchas
- Closed-source redistribution of derivatives is incompatible.
- Compatibility analysis with other dependencies is mandatory.
- Can block adoption by conservative commercial legal teams.