
Open source promotes universal access via an open-source or free license to a product's design or blueprint, and universal redistribution of that design or blueprint. The model is used for projects such as in open-source appropriate technology, and open-source drug discovery. The open-source movement in software began as a response to the limitations of proprietary code.


Ī main principle of open-source software development is peer production, with products such as source code, blueprints, and documentation freely available to the public. The open-source model is a decentralized software development model that encourages open collaboration. Products include permission to use the source code, design documents, or content of the product. Open source is source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution.

For other uses, see open source (disambiguation). For common use, see open-source software.
