Open Source

Open source is a software development and distribution methodology in which the source code is released under a license that grants users the rights to inspect, modify, and redistribute it, promoting collaborative contributions and community-driven improvements.[](https://opensource.org/osd) This approach contrasts with proprietary software by prioritizing transparency and peer review to enhance reliability, security, and innovation through widespread participation.[](https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/open-source) The model traces its roots to early practices of sharing source code, such as in Unix systems during the 1970s within academic and research environments, where developers freely exchanged and built upon each other's work.[](https://www.redhat.com/en/topics/open-source/what-is-open-source) It was formally defined and popularized in 1998 by the Open Source Initiative (OSI), a nonprofit organization that established the Open Source Definition to standardize licenses meeting criteria for free redistribution, derived works, and non-discriminatory access.[](https://opensource.org/about/history-of-the-open-source-initiative)

Open sourceis source code that is made freely available for possible modification and redistribution. Products include permission to use and view the source code, design documents, or content of the product. Theopen source modelis a decentralized software development model that encourages open collaboration. A 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 movement in software began as a response to the limitations of proprietary code. The model is used for projects such as in open source eCommerce, open source appropriate technology, and open source drug discovery.