Apache License 2.0
Like MIT, but with an explicit patent grant and contribution terms.
Commercial use
✓ Yes
Modify
✓ Yes
Distribute
✓ Yes
Must open source changes
✗ No
Must attribute
✓ Yes
Patent grant
✓ Yes
What this license means
Apache 2.0 is a permissive license similar to MIT but with two important additions: an explicit patent grant (contributors give you a license to any patents their code implements) and a contribution clause (anyone who submits a change implicitly agrees to these terms). Popular with corporate-backed projects.
When you encounter this license
Use Apache-licensed tools the same way as MIT — freely in any project. The patent grant gives you extra legal protection. If you're choosing between MIT and Apache for your own project, Apache is the safer choice for anything that might touch patents.
Watch out for
You must include the NOTICE file if one exists (many Apache projects have one). If you modify the code, you must state that you changed it. The patent grant terminates if you file a patent lawsuit against the project.
Tools using Apache License 2.0 (146)
Library for Discord bot development
Stream processing framework
Complete container management platform
Open source AI/ML lifecycle platform
Make images smaller using best-in-class codecs
Team chat with threading
Infrastructure as Code in any programming language
APM and monitoring system
AI orchestration framework for production LLM apps
Toolchain for web projects — formatter and linter in one
eBPF-based Networking, Security, and Observability
Web scraping and browser automation for Node.js
CNCF distributed tracing platform
Declarative continuous deployment for Kubernetes
Workflow orchestration for resilient data pipelines
High-performance graph database
Serverless Postgres with autoscaling and branching
Database clustering for horizontal MySQL scaling
Open container runtime
NGINX Controller for Kubernetes
This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For licensing decisions in commercial products, consult a qualified attorney.