sh.itjust.works

The 2023 report of the licenses in use by the biggest package managers highlights the need to educate developers on the importance of licensing information. While many developers know that Open Source software forms the backbone of modern development, the data shows that much of their software is shared (and most likely also used) without a license.

Overall, MIT and Apache 2.0 are by far the most popular licenses, although popularity of licenses vary greatly depending on the package manager. The simplicity of these licenses, allowing users to modify and distribute code with minimal restrictions without imposing additional requirements, has undoubtedly contributed to their widespread adoption.