Git

MIT License

Added: July 27, 2026

Definition

An MIT License is a legal permission document that the owner of a software project adds to their repository. It tells everyone what they are allowed to do with the source code. It is usually added when publishing a project on GitHub.

The Problem That Led to It

Before software licenses, developers could publish their code publicly, but others didn't know whether they were legally allowed to copy, modify, or use it. Even if the repository was public, copyright law still protected the code by default. This uncertainty discouraged collaboration and open-source contributions. The MIT License was created to clearly grant permission in advance.

What Problem It Solves

It gives anyone permission to:

Use the code
Copy it
Modify it
Share it
Use it in commercial projects

The only main requirement is to keep the original copyright and license notice.

What Happens If Not Used

Even if the repository is public, others may view the code but generally cannot legally reuse, modify, or distribute it without permission.

Easy Wording

"I give everyone permission to use my code—just keep my license notice and don't hold me responsible if something goes wrong."

Layman Example

You design a chair and attach a note:

"Anyone may build, improve, or sell this chair design. Just keep my name on the original design, and if it breaks, don't blame me."

Technical Example

Before MIT License

Kami uploads Taxi-App to GitHub

Developer wants to use the code │ ▼ Unsure if copying or modifying is legally allowed

After MIT License

Kami uploads Taxi-App │ Adds MIT License │ ▼ Developer │ ├── Clone ✅ ├── Modify ✅ ├── Use commercially ✅ ├── Redistribute ✅ └── Keep MIT License notice ✅

The developer can even create a new application based on your code and sell it, provided they retain the copyright and license notice.

Limitation

The MIT License gives very broad permissions. It does not require people to publish their modifications or make their own code open source. Someone can legally use your MIT-licensed code inside a proprietary commercial product.

Solution

If you want improvements to always remain open source, the next concept to learn is the GNU GPL (General Public License). Unlike the MIT License, GPL requires anyone distributing modified versions to also release their source code under the GPL.