License Generator — Open Source License Files
Generate open source license files for MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL 3.0, BSD, and ISC with your name and year.
How it works
- 1Configure your options above
- 2Click "Generate License" — processing happens in your browser
- 3Copy or download the result
What to do next
About License Generator
License Generator runs the developer utility job locally inside your browser. Generate open source license files for MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL 3.0, BSD, and ISC with your name and year. The work happens on your machine, the result is generated on your machine, and the page exposes the controls you need to drive it without burying them in menus.
Architecturally, License Generator is a single-page client. The processing layer is standard browser APIs; the UI is a thin React shell on top. Inputs flow through the engine and the output is returned to the browser as a Blob you can save or copy. The 0 MB cap is the only hard limit and it exists to keep memory usage stable on every device.
License Generator performs the transformation entirely inside the JavaScript runtime. Your file lives in the tab's memory while the engine works on it; the result lives in the tab's memory until the browser triggers the download. Both are released when the tab closes, the way every browser tab releases its memory.
Anyone who works with developer utility on a casual basis — data analysts wrangling JSON, QA engineers writing repro cases, site reliability engineers triaging logs — finds License Generator a quick way to get the result. The page loads in under a second, the controls are visible from a single screen, and the result downloads or copies in one click.
Reach for License Generator when you need a predictable result on a single file. The page works on the first visit, the controls are visible without a menu, and the output is delivered the moment the engine finishes.
The hard constraints are easy to remember. Maximum input: 0 MB. Multiple files per run: no — one input at a time, by design, to keep results predictable. The same controls apply on every run.
License Generator is intentionally narrow in what it does, which makes it easy to slot into a longer workflow. Take its output, hand it to whichever next tool fits the job, and License Generator stays out of your way until the next time you need it.
License Generator is honest about scope: it handles a single, well-defined developer utility step. Specialist edge-case work — uncommon formats, very large inputs, or pipelines that need scripting — is what dedicated desktop apps are for. This page handles the common case quickly.
The download is delivered as a clearly named file the moment processing completes — no email link, no "your result will be ready in 5 minutes" queue, no expiry timer. The file is generated in your browser and saved by your browser's normal download flow.
Some context on why License Generator exists in this form: modern File APIs, high-performance JavaScript engines, and well-maintained open-source libraries now make it possible to perform developer utility work entirely in the browser. License Generator is built on top of that capability, which is why a single page can host the full pipeline.
If you also use a command-line tool for license generator, License Generator is a convenient alternative for the times you are on a different machine or helping someone who is not comfortable in a terminal. The output is a standard file in the format documented above.
If you want to get the most out of License Generator, three small habits help. Drag-and-drop is faster than the file picker once you get used to it. The keyboard shortcut for downloading the result is whatever your browser uses for "save link as," because the result is a normal download. And if you are working on a sensitive file, processing in an Incognito or Private window is a good extra layer — it leaves no trace in browser history when the tab closes.
For most failure modes, refreshing the page and re-running the job is enough — the engine has no persistent state to corrupt. If the same input fails twice in a row, the input itself is most likely the problem (a truncated file, an unexpected variant of the format, or a stream the engine does not recognise).
License Generator is one of many single-purpose tools in the catalog. Each is built around the same single-page model. Use this one, close the tab, and come back the next time you need the same job done. None of the tools require prior knowledge of the others — each page is self-contained.
How it works
- 1Open the License Generator workspace above. The interface is a single page, so there is nothing to navigate.
- 2Drop a developer file onto the upload area, or click to pick one from your device.
- 3Tweak the controls if the defaults are not quite right for your input. The options are kept short and labelled in plain language.
- 4Trigger processing. standard browser APIs reads your input, applies the transformation, and writes the result back into the page.
- 5Download the result. The file is generated in your browser and saved through your normal download flow.
- 6Repeat the process for additional inputs whenever you need to. The page stays loaded, so subsequent runs are quick.
Common use cases
- Inspect a payload during local development without writing a script using License Generator.
- Generate a quick fixture without leaving the browser.
- Convert between data formats while wiring up an integration.
- Inspect a regex against a test string before committing it.
- Generate boilerplate from a single specification line.
- Validate a config blob before pushing to staging.
- Compare two API responses to spot a regression.
- Format a noisy log line into something a teammate can read.
FAQ
Which licenses are available?
MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL 3.0, BSD 2-Clause, and ISC — the most common open source licenses.
How do I choose a license?
MIT and ISC are permissive and simple. Apache 2.0 includes patent grants. GPL 3.0 requires derivative works to be open source. BSD is similar to MIT.
Is the text legally binding?
These are the standard license texts used by millions of projects. Consult a lawyer for specific legal advice.
Can I change the year later?
Yes — edit the generated text. Many projects use a year range like "2020-2025".
Where do I put the file?
Save as LICENSE (no extension) or LICENSE.md in your project root directory.
Is this generated locally?
Yes — templates are filled in your browser with no server involvement.
Is License Generator mobile-friendly?
License Generator runs in any modern mobile browser — Safari, Chrome, Firefox and the in-app browsers in most messaging apps all support the underlying APIs. Performance depends on the device: a recent phone handles typical inputs nearly as fast as a laptop, while older devices may take a few seconds longer near the 0 MB ceiling. The interface lays out cleanly on small screens, so you do not need to pinch-zoom to see the controls.
Why is my browser prompting me when I open License Generator?
License Generator only needs the standard web platform — file picker access for the inputs you choose to load, and optionally clipboard access if you copy the result rather than downloading it. There is no microphone, camera, geolocation or background-permission request, because none of those are needed for the work the tool does.
Why does License Generator feel slow on large inputs?
Most jobs finish in seconds. Speed scales with input size and with how many CPU cycles your browser tab has available — the engine runs in your browser, so it shares resources with whatever else you have open. For inputs near the 0 MB ceiling, expect anywhere from a few seconds to roughly a minute on a typical laptop. Closing other heavy tabs noticeably speeds things up.
Do I need to install anything to use License Generator?
No installation is needed. License Generator runs as a normal web page, with no browser extension, no native helper, and no separate desktop client to download. That is partly a privacy choice — extensions can request broad permissions, while a regular page is sandboxed by default — and partly a convenience one: you can use License Generator on any computer you have temporary access to without leaving anything installed on it.
Does License Generator upload my file to a server?
Your file is processed inside your browser by standard browser APIs. The engine reads the file's bytes from your tab's memory, computes the result, and writes the result back into the tab. You can confirm what the page does by opening developer tools and watching the Network tab during a run — the requests you see are for the tool's static assets only.
Which browsers are supported by License Generator?
License Generator works in any modern browser released in the last few years — Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Brave, Arc and the major Chromium derivatives are all supported. The underlying engine relies on widely-supported web APIs, so there is nothing exotic to install. If you are on a very old browser version and the tool fails to load, updating to the latest release of your preferred browser is the only fix needed.
Does License Generator have an API?
License Generator is a browser-only tool by design and does not expose a hosted API. The reason is the same as the privacy story: there is no Favtoo backend doing the work, so there is no service to call. If you need to script the same transformation, the underlying engine (standard browser APIs) is open-source and can be used directly from your own code.
Can License Generator run inside a corporate firewall?
License Generator is a static page running an open-source engine in your browser, so a typical corporate firewall does not get in the way as long as it allows JavaScript to load from Favtoo. For teams that need to host it themselves on an internal network, the underlying engine (standard browser APIs) is open-source and can be packaged into a private build with the same behaviour. Reach out via the Contact page if that is something you are exploring.