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description: Protecting yourself legally
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# License

![Example of the MIT License of GitHub](https://901491421-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-legacy-files/o/assets%2F-MfnvLlz6jyn3Hr5srxD%2F-MgEJ5IfaM7UOjGFAnTn%2F-MgEJCr71Zvtn_RaS-22%2Flicense.PNG?alt=media\&token=11e97524-7f88-42f1-be9f-68ae6ce5c363)

The license is the last of the three main documentation files. An open source license complies with open source standards and ensures that your project can be replicated, used, and contributed to by others. In the event of legal issues, a license protects you. A license is essential for an open source project to truly be open source.

If you’re not a lawyer that’s alright because luckily there are a lot of licenses that are available for you to use for free. The MIT license is the most common for open source projects but there are plenty of others such as the Apache License 2.0 or the Common Development and Distribution License. All of these licenses serve the same purpose but you're free to check the differences on your own. Below is an external resource that covers many of the common open source licenses.

{% embed url="https://opensource.org/licenses" %}

