Pandoc WASM license

[hubgit]

I'd like to use pandoc-wasm in a web app, to provide import and export of various document formats.

My understanding of the GPL license for npm dependencies, which get bundled with the rest of the frontend code and delivered to the browser, is that using a GPL-licensed dependency means that the source for the whole of the frontend code needs to be made available with the same GPL license.

Is that the intention of Pandoc's GPL license, or is the intention only that modifying Pandoc itself requires the modified Pandoc source to be made available with the same GPL license?

[badumont]

I cannot answer about the intention behind licensing Pandoc under the GPL, but in any case, you can use other licenses for the front-end code that grant the same rights to the user as the GPL. Here is a list of various licenses considered compatible with the GPL: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html

[jgm]

Yes, that is my understanding. If you create a new program that uses pandoc.wasm as an essential part, that is much like using a dynamically loaded library in C. The whole thing needs to be licensed GPL.