Git changed how teams write software. Its licensing model helped make that possible.

Git is free and open source, licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 (GPLv2). This means anyone can use, study, modify, and distribute Git without paying fees. The only requirement: if you distribute a modified version, you must share your changes under the same license. This keeps Git’s source code open for everyone.

The GPLv2 is a copyleft license. It protects the freedoms it grants by ensuring derivatives remain under the same rules. This is different from permissive licenses like MIT or Apache, which allow closed-source forks. Git’s copyleft ensures improvements flow back to the community, preventing fragmentation of the tool developers rely on.

Git’s development is stewarded by a community led by Junio C Hamano. The licensing model gives companies, open source projects, and individual developers the same rights. This has enabled massive adoption across startups, enterprises, and global open source projects. The GPLv2 binds them to a shared ecosystem while letting them build proprietary code on top, since the license applies to Git itself, not to repositories managed with Git.

For legal teams, it’s important to note: using Git to manage code does not impose the GPLv2 on your own source code. The copyleft requirement only applies if you modify and redistribute Git’s own codebase. This distinction is why Git can be, and is, used by organizations with licensing policies that avoid open source obligations on their proprietary software.

Understanding the Git licensing model helps align compliance, engineering, and business strategy. It ensures you can adopt or customize Git without risk, while contributing fixes and features where it makes sense.

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