license-maker 📜

Generate LICENSE files from the command line. MIT, Apache, GPL, BSD, ISC, MPL, Unlicense — one command.

Why?

Every open-source project needs a LICENSE file, but nobody wants to manually copy-paste legal text and fill in the year and author name. license-maker generates a correct, complete LICENSE file in one command — with zero dependencies.

Install

npm install -g license-maker

Or use directly without installing:

npx license-maker mit

Quick Start

# Generate MIT license (auto-detects name from git config)
license-maker mit

# Specify author name
license-maker apache-2.0 --name "Jane Doe"

# Output to custom file
license-maker gpl-3.0 --output LICENSE.md

# Print to stdout (pipe to clipboard)
license-maker mit --stdout | pbcopy    # macOS
license-maker mit --stdout | xclip     # Linux

# List all available licenses
license-maker --list

Supported Licenses

License	Command	Permissive?	Patent Grant?
MIT	license-maker mit	✅	❌
Apache 2.0	license-maker apache-2.0	✅	✅
GPL 3.0	license-maker gpl-3.0	❌ (copyleft)	✅
BSD 2-Clause	license-maker bsd-2	✅	❌
BSD 3-Clause	license-maker bsd-3	✅	❌
ISC	license-maker isc	✅	❌
MPL 2.0	license-maker mpl-2.0	Partial	✅
Unlicense	license-maker unlicense	✅ (public domain)	N/A

Which license should I choose?

• MIT — Maximum freedom, minimal restrictions. Most popular on npm.
• Apache 2.0 — Like MIT but includes patent protection. Good for corporate use.
• GPL 3.0 — Requires derivative works to also be open source.
• ISC — Functionally identical to MIT, slightly shorter text.
• Unlicense — Public domain dedication. No restrictions at all.

Features

• 📦 Zero dependencies — just Node.js built-ins
• 🔍 Auto-detects author from git config user.name
• 📅 Auto-fills year — always current
• 🖨️ Pipe to stdout with --stdout
• 🎨 Colorful terminal output — clear success/error messages
• ⚡ Instant — no network requests, no config files

Use Cases

New project setup

mkdir my-project && cd my-project
npm init -y
license-maker mit
# LICENSE file created with your name and current year ✓

CI/CD pipeline

# GitHub Actions: ensure LICENSE exists
- name: Generate license if missing
  run: |
    if [ ! -f LICENSE ]; then
      npx license-maker mit --name "${{ github.repository_owner }}"
    fi

Monorepo — license every package

for dir in packages/*/; do
  (cd "$dir" && npx license-maker mit)
done

Scaffolding script

#!/bin/bash
mkdir "$1" && cd "$1"
npm init -y
npx license-maker mit
git init
echo "node_modules" > .gitignore
echo "# $1" > README.md

Options

Flag	Description
--name <name>	Author name (default: git config user.name)
--output <file>	Output file path (default: LICENSE)
--stdout	Print to stdout instead of writing a file
--list	List all available license types
--help	Show help message

Comparison

Feature	license-maker	choosealicense.com	license-generator	manual copy-paste
CLI one-liner	✅	❌	✅	❌
Zero dependencies	✅	N/A	❌	N/A
Auto-detect author	✅	❌	✅	❌
Auto-fill year	✅	❌	✅	❌
Works offline	✅	❌	✅	✅
npx support	✅	N/A	✅	N/A
8 license types	✅	✅	✅	✅

Related Tools

Part of a zero-dependency CLI toolkit:

• commitwiz-ai — AI-powered git commit messages
• npm-name-check — Check npm package name availability
• dep-size — Check npm package install size before installing
• env-lint-cli — Validate .env files against .env.example

License

MIT © kszongic