Can I use code from GitHub in my product?

Short answer: An MIT repository: Yes. An Apache-2.0 repository: Yes. An AGPL-3.0 repository, modified and run as a service: Yes.

Public on GitHub does not mean licensed: the repository's LICENSE file decides, and a repository with no license grants no rights. Pass the repo URL as source_url and Rightshold reads its declared license.

An MIT repository: Yes

License: MIT License (MIT, curated)

• Every use you described is granted by MIT, and nothing you described is prohibited.

Duties: attribution, license_notice

An Apache-2.0 repository: Yes

License: Apache License 2.0 (Apache-2.0, curated)

• Every use you described is granted by Apache 2.0, and nothing you described is prohibited.

Duties: attribution, license_notice, state_changes

An AGPL-3.0 repository, modified and run as a service: Yes

License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0-only, curated)

• Every use you described is granted by AGPL 3.0, and nothing you described is prohibited.

Duties: attribution, license_notice, state_changes, share_alike, source_disclosure, network_source_offer

Context

• GitHub's terms let other users view and fork public repositories on GitHub; that is not a license to reuse the code elsewhere.

Sources

• GitHub: Licensing a repository

Check it yourself (free, no key)

{
  "tool": "check_license",
  "arguments": {
    "license": "MIT",
    "intended_use": {
      "commercial_use": true,
      "modification": true,
      "redistribution": true
    }
  }
}

Computed from Rightshold's license profiles; not legal advice. Updated 2026-10-19. JSON · Markdown