[▲ Vercel Community](/) · [Categories](/categories) · [Latest](/latest) · [Top](/top) · [Live](/live) [Discussions](/c/community/4) # Open-Sourcing Codebase Help 38 views · 1 like · 2 posts Siddhartha Maity (@siddharthamaity) · 2024-10-28 · ♥ 1 Hey everyone! 👋 I’m working on a project that I’d like to share with the community, but before I keep the codebase public, I want to make sure I’m not missing any legal or security-related concerns. I could really use some help figuring this out! [[GITHUB LINK](https://github.com/SiddharthaMaity/nextjs-15-starter-core)] # 📝 Here's the context: * The project is a **Next.js** starter template with some **TypeScript**, **ESLint**, **Tailwind CSS**, and **Docker** configurations. It’s mainly a boilerplate that I built to speed up new projects. * I've used some open-source libraries (all with permissive licenses like MIT or Apache 2.0) to build it. * It doesn’t include any proprietary or sensitive code—just my own custom logic and structure. * I’ve been using this internally for client projects, but none of the actual client work is part of this codebase. # My questions: 1. **License Compliance:** Since the project includes open-source dependencies, how can I ensure I'm complying with all licenses? Do I need to include or modify their licenses when making my project public? 2. **Client Work:** Even though the codebase doesn’t contain client-specific work, is there anything I should be cautious about if I've used this as a starter template for client projects in the past? (e.g., could I accidentally expose something I shouldn't?) 3. **Proprietary Code:** I don’t think there's any proprietary or sensitive code in here, but is there an easy way to double-check or audit the codebase before going public? Any tips on what to look out for? 4. **Choosing a License:** What’s a good license to use if I want others to freely use and modify the template while giving credit? I’m leaning toward MIT or Apache 2.0, but I’d love advice on which one would be best. # Any advice or insights? I’m fairly new to making codebases public, so I want to be 100% sure I’m doing everything by the book. Any guidance on how to safely and legally open-source a project like this would be much appreciated! Thanks so much in advance! 🙏 Amy Egan (@amyegan) · 2024-10-28 Others are welcome to share from their own experience as well, but I want to get you started with some resources that I think can help you. :smile: - https://github.com/readme/guides/open-source-licensing - https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/understanding-open-source-software-licenses