License-API
Unofficial REST API providing license data from choosealicense.com.
Read docs Updated 2026-06-17
What is License-API?
License-API is an unofficial REST service that delivers license data sourced from choosealicense.com.
It supports developers and tools needing structured access to open source license descriptions and permissions without direct web scraping.
What you can build with License-API
License selector in project generators
Query available licenses and their rules to auto-populate license files when scaffolding new open source repositories.
License compliance dashboards
Fetch and display permission, condition, and limitation details for licenses used across a company's dependency list.
Interactive license comparison tools
Build web widgets that let users compare multiple licenses side-by-side using structured data from the API.
Get started with License-API
- 1Send a GET request to the base endpoint to list available routes
- 2Call the licenses collection endpoint to retrieve all supported licenses
- 3Use the license detail endpoint with a license key (e.g. mit) to fetch rules
- 4Parse the JSON response for fields like permissions, conditions, and limitations
- 5Cache responses locally since data changes infrequently
License-API: pros & cons
Pros
- +No authentication required
- +HTTPS only with simple REST interface
- +Direct structured data from choosealicense.com
- +Lightweight and fast for license metadata
Cons
- –Unofficial and may lag behind site updates
- –Limited to licenses featured on choosealicense.com
- –No versioning or rate-limit transparency
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Frequently asked questions
An unofficial REST wrapper that exposes choosealicense.com license data in JSON format.
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