Questions tagged [api]
Use the tag if an open project or license concerns the specific use or interaction with an Application Programming Interface (API).
30
questions
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1
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GPL-v3 using along with closed source via rest api
I want to use CMS distributed under GPL-v3 licenses. I am building a web application with closed code and my app invokes via REST API backend under GPL-v3. Question: is it legal to use GPL-v3 along ...
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2
votes
1
answer
296
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Can I use a AGPL/GPL package and software for closed-source backend API?
I'm creating an API for a website. An interesting Node.js package I would need is licensed under the AGPL-3. that package is a binding library that speaks to a GPL-2 licensed software (compiled binary)...
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2
votes
1
answer
157
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Implications of Google v Oracle decision for GPL
What (if any) are the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in Oracle v Google. It sets precedent that APIs are fair use. But how does this work with GPL?
Specifically, imagine the ...
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4
votes
1
answer
488
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How am I supposed to include a license notice if I use some code licensed under Apache License 2.0 in some API?
I plan to use some code licensed under Apache License 2.0 in some API. How shall I include the license notice that is required by Apache License 2.0? The API is a RESTful API, which is documented on a ...
2
votes
1
answer
46
views
OpenStreetMap usage
I developed an application that on one of its screens has a map.
In order to display the results, I'm using Leaflet where I load into it the tiles from OpenStreetMap (OSM).
In their policy it says:
...
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6
votes
1
answer
117
views
Accessing a non-commercial API with Software under strong copyleft (e.g. GPLv3) possible?
My intention
I’d like to write a desktop GUI program using Qt (which is itself is licensed under GPL) that interfaces a REST API and I want to use a strong copyleft license, preferably GPLv3. (I use ...
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2
votes
0
answers
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What does a web API entails if it's licensed under MIT? Do I have to credit the API if I use it in my app?
I have trouble understanding if a web api must be credited if it's under the MIT license. I'm technically only calling the API so I'm not modify the API code. It seems to my understanding that it is ...
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5
votes
1
answer
96
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Publish code on GitHub with a call to public API
This question is more about conventional practice, so I don't include the detail about code or environment. It should be applied to all type of API call.
This question was asked on SE exchange, but it ...
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2
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0
answers
97
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AGPL - Api usage
I am currently working on a workout app for a gym and in my research stumbled upon wger.
https://wger.de/en/software/license.
An API distributed under AGPL.
My question is the following:
Does the ...
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1
vote
2
answers
82
views
Is software still free if it uses nonfree APIs?
I am making a piece of software and I plan to have it interact with the Discord API, which I know is nonfree because it expressly prohibits freedom 1 (the freedom to look at and modify the source ...
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4
votes
1
answer
65
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Should I exclude files from the license if they may reference other copyrighted work
I'm working on a few wrappers for some web APIs which are under the Apache-2.0 license; for testing I have responses that I've gotten from the real API on the resource classpath to test against. I ...
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1
vote
1
answer
119
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Using a free API which licensed “For personal / non-commercial projects” in website with banners
if using in a website a free API that has the following license: For personal / non-commercial projects. under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
https://...
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0
votes
1
answer
73
views
Can FOSS software make API calls to proprietary systems?
I'm not sure if the distinction between free and open source software makes a difference for this question, so I'll use the term FOSS.
Can a FOSS platform make API calls to proprietary systems, such ...
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2
votes
5
answers
639
views
Who is the copyright holder when GPLv2 project API is used?
I've read a lot of articles and still can't find the answer to the following question.
There is a project that uses GNU General Public License version 2 license, developed by CompanyX. We (...
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2
votes
0
answers
241
views
Can I use API exposed in an open source project (MIT License) in a commercial software?
I wanted to use an api that is exposed in an open source project under MIT License.There's no restrictions mentioned for the use of api anywhere in the License neither it says that we can use the api ...
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2
votes
1
answer
508
views
Does using an AGPLv3 application through a customised API deem a interfacing application derivative work and must be made public to network users?
A few points to be made to help give clarity to the scenario:
The AGPL application and its API can and most likely be customised to suit business needs
Other unknown licensed applications require to ...
2
votes
0
answers
56
views
Publishing Open Source Software without disclosing a libraries API key
I am working on a project which I plan to opensource. The app will use a crash detection library which to initialise requires an API key and app key in order to initialise and send th crash data to ...
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4
votes
1
answer
148
views
MIDI in free software
Yesterday, I got a copyright question on my GitHub repo for my MIDI SDK. I want to know how free software projects handle such problems. In short:
Is it legal to list all constants except the General ...
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3
votes
2
answers
644
views
Why Google’s court victory might kill the GPL?
On the article:
Op-ed: Oracle attorney says Google’s court victory might kill the GPL
They say:
It is hard to see how GPL can survive such a result. In fact, it is hard to see how ownership of a ...
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4
votes
1
answer
993
views
Open Source projects with encryption keys
I currently have a project which I'm planning in the not too distant future to open source on GitHub.
The question I have is regarding how open source projects are released if they have encryption ...
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3
votes
1
answer
195
views
Is this copyright infringment?
I created a project to validate objects.
It's influenced by a fairly known project called FluentValidation by Jeremy Skinner which has an Apache License.
Both projects do the same, provide an API ...
5
votes
2
answers
466
views
Re-implementation of a proprietary API
There is a proprietary library whose API I want to re-implement, which is provided to the users with specification, and its use is limited by its license to internal evaluation (to develop programs ...
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3
votes
2
answers
108
views
Linking vs API vs data
I know that GPL requires linking application to be licensed under GPL. Some database lisense covers data usage. I'm sure there's something for API too. But from the comments here on OSSE I also know ...
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1
vote
2
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386
views
GNU GPL question: Do I need to open source my entire app?
I am using the Telegram API (licensed under GNU GPL) to integrate chat services within my own application. The developer of Telegram asks to -
"Please remember to publish your code too in order to ...
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3
votes
4
answers
180
views
Non-public data in GPL project
Is it possible to release software under GPL license but not publish one small part of it which contains data that really shouldn't be available publicly (I mean private API keys, etc.) If not, which ...
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8
votes
1
answer
259
views
Can I apply an open source license if I referenced copyright documentation during development?
I am working on python library that wraps a non-free C library. In order to develop this, I referenced the C library's copyrighted documentation. Because of that my function and variable names are the ...
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8
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Publishing software as open source while keeping an API key secret
I have a project that I want to release as open source. However, the project interacts with some external web-based API that requires a key (issued by API owners specifically for the project), that ...
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5
votes
1
answer
220
views
Does a file format constitute an API?
This is an attempt to break down: Does a host application's license apply to plug-ins written for it? into the underlying questions.
Assume the following scenario:
Two programs 'communicate' via ...
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9
votes
2
answers
246
views
Can I release my plugin scripts as open source if they rely on a proprietary API?
I write scripts for a commercial GIS package (ArcGIS) using Python and the GIS package software API (Arcpy). I had been thinking about putting the scripts that I create on GitHub under an MIT licence ...
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21
votes
4
answers
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What are the implications of the Google vs. Oracle case on the state of public APIs?
There is a case between Google and Oracle over the use of Java and it's standard library on the Google Android operating system. From this article:
To recap: Oracle accused Google of copying some of ...
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