License compatibility

Choose the intended licence of your project, one dependency and how they are used. The result concerns that direction: swapping licences can change it. Distribute a combined work assumes a derivative combined work, not independent programs merely shipped together. Separate programs assumes independence; this guide does not decide whether linking or communication actually creates one work.

Use the exact SPDX identifier from the licence notice. “only” permits that version; “or-later” grants a later-version choice. For example GPL-2.0-only plus Apache-2.0 conflicts, while GPL-2.0-or-later can choose GPLv3. GPLv3 and AGPLv3 have a special combination rule. MPL file boundaries/secondary-licence exclusions and LGPL library/relinking conditions require their own checks.

The matrix is optional. Rows are project licences, columns dependency licences, under the same use case. The selected pair is highlighted; scroll locally to compare. Symbols summarise the guide’s result and do not mean legal approval. Follow the licence text and the linked basis for concrete obligations.

Sources checked 4 October 2026: Apache Software Foundation compatibility guidance, Mozilla MPL FAQ and the licence texts/identifiers on SPDX. This is a limited guide, not legal advice or a licence-expression solver. It does not assess licence exceptions, dual licensing, ownership, patents, trademarks, jurisdiction or every boundary of a derivative work. Server use without distribution excludes copies delivered to users; modified AGPL network software can have source-offer duties. Each supplied copy still needs its own distribution assessment.