Skip to content

Get a license

GET
/licenses/{license}

Gets information about a specific license. For more information, see “Licensing a repository .”

API method documentation

license
required
string

Response

Media type application/json
License

License

object
key
required
string
name
required
string
spdx_id
required
string
nullable
url
required
string format: uri
nullable
node_id
required
string
html_url
required
string format: uri
description
required
string
implementation
required
string
permissions
required
Array<string>
conditions
required
Array<string>
limitations
required
Array<string>
body
required
string
featured
required
boolean
Examples
Example default
{
"key": "mit",
"name": "MIT License",
"spdx_id": "MIT",
"url": "https://api.github.com/licenses/mit",
"node_id": "MDc6TGljZW5zZW1pdA==",
"html_url": "http://choosealicense.com/licenses/mit/",
"description": "A permissive license that is short and to the point. It lets people do anything with your code with proper attribution and without warranty.",
"implementation": "Create a text file (typically named LICENSE or LICENSE.txt) in the root of your source code and copy the text of the license into the file. Replace [year] with the current year and [fullname] with the name (or names) of the copyright holders.",
"permissions": [
"commercial-use",
"modifications",
"distribution",
"sublicense",
"private-use"
],
"conditions": [
"include-copyright"
],
"limitations": [
"no-liability"
],
"body": "\n\nThe MIT License (MIT)\n\nCopyright (c) [year] [fullname]\n\nPermission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy\nof this software and associated documentation files (the \"Software\"), to deal\nin the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights\nto use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell\ncopies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is\nfurnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:\n\nThe above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all\ncopies or substantial portions of the Software.\n\nTHE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED \"AS IS\", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR\nIMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,\nFITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE\nAUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER\nLIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,\nOUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE\nSOFTWARE.\n",
"featured": true
}

Not modified

Forbidden

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"
}

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"
}