Introduction

  • 4 minutes

Open-source software has become the foundation of modern software development. From web frameworks and databases to operating systems and development tools, open-source components power the majority of applications built today. Understanding how to effectively implement open-source software while managing associated risks is essential for development teams and organizations.

However, using open-source software introduces important considerations that organizations must address. Security vulnerabilities, license compliance, legal obligations, and supply chain risks all require careful attention. Organizations that fail to properly manage their open-source dependencies can face security breaches, legal liabilities, unexpected costs, and operational disruptions.

This module provides comprehensive guidance on implementing open-source software in enterprise environments. You'll learn how modern software is built with open-source components, understand corporate concerns about security and licensing, explore common open-source licenses and their implications, and discover strategies for managing open-source software effectively.

What you learn

This module covers essential knowledge for working with open-source software in professional environments:

  • Understanding modern software development: You'll explore how contemporary applications are built by combining original code with open-source libraries, frameworks, and tools. You'll learn why organizations choose open-source components and understand the benefits they provide including faster development, proven solutions, community support, and cost savings.

  • Corporate concerns about open-source software: You'll examine the security, legal, and operational risks that organizations face when using open-source components. This includes security vulnerabilities in dependencies, license compliance requirements, supply chain risks, unmaintained or abandoned projects, and the challenge of managing thousands of dependencies across multiple applications.

  • Open-source license fundamentals: You'll learn about different categories of open-source licenses, from permissive licenses like MIT and Apache that allow broad commercial use, to copyleft licenses like GPL that require derivative works to use the same license. Understanding license characteristics helps you make informed decisions about which open-source components are appropriate for your projects.

  • License implications for commercial software: You'll discover how different licenses affect commercial software development, including restrictions on proprietary software, requirements for disclosing source code, attribution requirements, and license compatibility concerns. This knowledge prevents legal issues that could impact your organization's ability to sell or distribute software.

  • Strategies for managing open-source components: You'll explore practical approaches for implementing open-source software safely and compliantly, including maintaining component inventories, scanning for vulnerabilities, tracking license obligations, establishing approval processes, and using automated tools to monitor dependencies continuously.

Learning objectives

After completing this module, you can:

  • Understand how modern software is built using open-source components and the benefits they provide for development velocity, quality, and innovation.
  • Explain corporate concerns about open-source software including security vulnerabilities, license compliance, supply chain risks, and the challenges of managing dependencies at scale.
  • Describe common open-source licenses including MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL, BSD, and other licenses, understanding their key characteristics, permissions, and restrictions.
  • Evaluate license implications for commercial software development, understanding which licenses are compatible with proprietary software and which require source code disclosure.
  • Implement strategies for managing open-source components including inventory management, vulnerability scanning, license compliance checking, and establishing approval workflows for new dependencies.

Prerequisites

Before starting this module, you should have:

  • Understanding of software development: Basic knowledge of how applications are built, including the use of libraries, frameworks, and dependencies.
  • Familiarity with DevOps concepts: Understanding of continuous integration, continuous delivery, and the software development lifecycle.
  • Version control experience: Basic experience with Git or other version control systems where dependency management occurs.
  • Awareness of software licensing: General understanding that software has legal terms governing its use, even if you haven't studied specific licenses in detail.

Experience working in an organization that delivers software is beneficial but not required. This module provides the foundational knowledge needed to work with open-source software professionally.