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Get the license for a repository

GET
/repos/{owner}/{repo}/license

This method returns the contents of the repository’s license file, if one is detected.

This endpoint supports the following custom media types. For more information, see “Media types.”

  • application/vnd.github.raw+json: Returns the raw contents of the license.
  • application/vnd.github.html+json: Returns the license contents in HTML. Markup languages are rendered to HTML using GitHub’s open-source Markup library.

API method documentation

owner
required
string

The account owner of the repository. The name is not case sensitive.

repo
required
string

The name of the repository without the .git extension. The name is not case sensitive.

ref

The Git reference, formatted as refs/pull/<number>/merge, refs/pull/<number>/head, refs/heads/<branch name> or simply <branch name>.

string

The Git reference for the results you want to list. The ref for a branch can be formatted either as refs/heads/<branch name> or simply <branch name>. To reference a pull request use refs/pull/<number>/merge.

Response

Media type application/json
License Content

License Content

object
name
required
string
path
required
string
sha
required
string
size
required
integer
url
required
string format: uri
html_url
required
string format: uri
nullable
git_url
required
string format: uri
nullable
download_url
required
string format: uri
nullable
type
required
string
content
required
string
encoding
required
string
_links
required
object
git
required
string format: uri
nullable
html
required
string format: uri
nullable
self
required
string format: uri
license
required
License Simple

License Simple

object
key
required
string
name
required
string
url
required
string format: uri
nullable
spdx_id
required
string
nullable
node_id
required
string
html_url
string format: uri
Examples
Example default
{
"name": "LICENSE",
"path": "LICENSE",
"sha": "401c59dcc4570b954dd6d345e76199e1f4e76266",
"size": 1077,
"url": "https://api.github.com/repos/benbalter/gman/contents/LICENSE?ref=master",
"html_url": "https://github.com/benbalter/gman/blob/master/LICENSE",
"git_url": "https://api.github.com/repos/benbalter/gman/git/blobs/401c59dcc4570b954dd6d345e76199e1f4e76266",
"download_url": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/benbalter/gman/master/LICENSE?lab=true",
"type": "file",
"content": "VGhlIE1JVCBMaWNlbnNlIChNSVQpCgpDb3B5cmlnaHQgKGMpIDIwMTMgQmVu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\nSEUgVVNFIE9SIE9USEVSIERFQUxJTkdTIElOIFRIRSBTT0ZUV0FSRS4K\n",
"encoding": "base64",
"_links": {
"self": "https://api.github.com/repos/benbalter/gman/contents/LICENSE?ref=master",
"git": "https://api.github.com/repos/benbalter/gman/git/blobs/401c59dcc4570b954dd6d345e76199e1f4e76266",
"html": "https://github.com/benbalter/gman/blob/master/LICENSE"
},
"license": {
"key": "mit",
"name": "MIT License",
"spdx_id": "MIT",
"url": "https://api.github.com/licenses/mit",
"node_id": "MDc6TGljZW5zZW1pdA=="
}
}

Resource not found

Media type application/json
Basic Error

Basic Error

object
message
string
documentation_url
string
url
string
status
string
Example generated
{
"message": "example",
"documentation_url": "example",
"url": "example",
"status": "example"
}