M
API Matrix

License-API API

⭐ Beginner's Pick Development / No Auth Required Beginner HTTPS
Free to Use Varies (check documentation)
74 Score
Grade B
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Overview

License-API is an unofficial REST wrapper around choosealicense.com that lets you fetch structured data about open-source licenses by their SPDX identifier. You can retrieve full license text, permissions, conditions, and limitations without scraping the website. It is a handy tool for code-hosting platforms, CLI tools, or IDEs that need to display or suggest licenses to developers.

💡

Beginner Tip

No authentication is needed — just call the endpoint with a license ID such as "mit" or "apache-2.0". The base URL is https://choosealicense.com/licenses/ and License-API mirrors that structure as JSON. Start with GET /licenses to list all available licenses before fetching an individual one.

Available Data

License-API data via REST API
JSON-formatted response data
Freely accessible without authentication

Example Response

JSON Response 
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from License-API",
    "description": "Unofficial REST API for choosealicense.com",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

key The SPDX identifier for the license, e.g. "mit" or "apache-2.0".
name Human-readable name of the license, e.g. "MIT License".
body Full text of the license.
permissions List of what the license allows, such as commercial use, modification, or distribution.
conditions Requirements the user must follow, such as license-and-copyright-notice.
limitations Things the license does not permit, such as liability or warranty.

Implementation Example 

const url = "https://github.com/cmccandless/license-api/blob/master/";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

404 Not Found The license ID in the path does not match any known SPDX identifier (e.g. typos like "MIT" instead of "mit").
✓ Use lowercase SPDX identifiers. Fetch GET /licenses first to get the full list of valid IDs.
Empty or HTML response instead of JSON The base URL points to GitHub README documentation, not the live API host.
✓ Use the actual API host (e.g. https://choosealicense.cmccandless.com) documented in the README, not the GitHub page URL.
CORS error in browser The API does not send CORS headers, so browser-side fetch calls are blocked.
✓ Route requests through a server-side proxy or use the API only in Node.js / backend scripts.

Matrix Score Breakdown

🌐 Reachability 30/30
⚡ Speed 10/20
🔒 Security 15/15
🛠 Developer XP 12/20
✓ Reliability 7/15
Response Time 600ms

Fully tested on Apr 5, 2026

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS NO
Category Development
Difficulty Beginner
Verified: 2026-04-04

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