Stop Googling License Questions — I Built a Tool for That

Dhanraj — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:44:53 +0000

As developers, we've all been there.

You find the perfect open-source library for your project. Then you notice it's licensed under GPL, AGPL, MPL, or Apache 2.0, and suddenly you're asking yourself:

"Can I use this in a commercial project?"

"Do I have to open-source my code?"

"What happens if I modify it?"

You search Google, read old Stack Overflow threads, skim legal blogs, and end up more confused than when you started.

So I decided to build oss-license-helper.

What is oss-license-helper?

oss-license-helper is a free, interactive tool that helps developers understand open-source licenses in plain English.

No legal jargon.

No paywalls.

No endless searching.

Just clear answers to common licensing questions.

🔗 Live Demo: https://johanl001.github.io/oss-license-helper

Why I Built It

I kept running into the same problem while working on projects.

Most licensing resources are either:

Too technical
Written for lawyers
Scattered across multiple websites
Difficult for beginners to understand

I wanted a tool that could answer practical questions quickly:

Can I use this license commercially?
Can I modify the code?
Do I need to share my source code?
Is this license compatible with another license?

The goal wasn't to replace legal advice. It was to make license information easier for developers to understand.

Features
🌳 Decision-Tree License Checker

Answer three simple questions:

Is your project commercial?
Will you modify the code?
Will you distribute it?

Based on your answers, the tool provides a plain-English explanation of what you can and cannot do under the selected license.

No need to read pages of legal text.

📊 License Compatibility Matrix

One of the most confusing parts of open-source licensing is compatibility.

The tool includes a visual compatibility matrix covering licenses such as:

MIT
Apache 2.0
GPL-2.0
GPL-3.0
AGPL
MPL
ISC
CC0

Click any cell in the matrix to get a simple explanation of why two licenses are compatible—or why they aren't.

Built With

The project is intentionally lightweight and runs entirely in the browser.

This makes it fast, free to use, and easy to contribute to.

Open Source

The project is released under the MIT License, and contributions are welcome.

If you'd like to improve the tool, add more license explanations, or suggest features, feel free to open an issue or submit a pull request.

I'd Love Your Feedback

This is my first version, and I'm sure there are ways to make it better.

If you try the tool, let me know:

What features would you add?
Which licenses should be supported next?
What parts were confusing?

Thanks for reading!

🚀 Try it here: [](https://johanl001.github.io/oss-license-helper )

DEV Community: Dhanraj

Stop Googling License Questions — I Built a Tool for That