The modern software development process involves reusing code. Rather than coding everything from scratch, teams reuse open source components that may include code snippets, functions, libraries, frameworks, and sometimes entire applications.
The practice of reusing code facilitates rapid development. However, it is crucial to understand that software code comes with specific rights and obligations. Open source software may be provided free of charge, but it still has a license with binding terms and conditions. Even copying code snippets from a programming website might carry certain legal obligations.
There are many open source software licenses, each stipulating certain obligations and rights. License noncompliance can result in harsh penalties, and licensors can sue those violating the license. For example, noncompliance can result in being forced to publish the source code.
Organizations can protect their code only if they understand an open source license before reusing any code, including frameworks and libraries.
This is part of a series of articles about DevSecOps.