License

Information about how you can use StackIndex's code, data, and content.

Last updated: March 7, 2026

Overview

StackIndex is committed to open source and open data principles. Different components of our project are licensed under different terms to maximize reusability while protecting certain rights. This page explains the licensing for each component.

1. Source Code License

MIT License

The StackIndex source code is licensed under the MIT License: 

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 StackIndex

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.

This applies to all source code in our GitHub repository, including but not limited to:

  • Frontend code (Astro, TypeScript, JavaScript)
  • Pipeline scripts and collectors
  • Build and configuration files
  • Test suites and utilities

2. Dataset License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

The StackIndex dataset, rankings, and aggregated data are licensed under CC BY 4.0:

You are free to:

  • Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
  • Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially

Under the following terms:

  • Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made

This license applies to:

  • The tools.json dataset
  • Category classifications and metadata
  • Ranking calculations and scores
  • Aggregated metrics and statistics
  • Historical trend data

3. Attribution Requirements

When using our data, please provide attribution in one of the following formats:

Data from StackIndex (https://stackindex.dev) - CC BY 4.0

Or for academic citations:

StackIndex. (2026). Developer Tools Rankings Dataset. Retrieved from https://stackindex.dev/dataset/tools.json. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.

4. Third-Party Content

StackIndex aggregates publicly available information from various sources. This third-party content remains the property of its respective owners:

  • Tool Names and Logos: Trademarks and logos remain property of their respective owners
  • GitHub Data: Repository information collected via GitHub API under GitHub's Terms of Service
  • NPM Data: Package statistics collected from NPM registry under NPM's terms
  • Tool Descriptions: May include content from repository README files under their respective licenses

Important: The licenses above apply only to StackIndex's original work. Third-party content retains its original licensing.

5. Commercial Use

Both our source code (MIT) and data (CC BY 4.0) licenses permit commercial use. You may:

  • Use our code to build commercial applications
  • Include our data in commercial products or services
  • Modify and redistribute for commercial purposes

However, you must still comply with attribution requirements and may not imply endorsement by StackIndex without explicit permission.

6. Warranty Disclaimer

ALL MATERIALS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT.

IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES, OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF, OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE MATERIALS OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE MATERIALS.

7. Data Accuracy and Timeliness

While we strive to maintain accurate and up-to-date information:

  • Data is collected from public sources and may contain inaccuracies
  • Rankings are based on automated metrics and may not reflect all aspects of tool quality
  • Information is updated periodically but may not reflect real-time changes
  • Users should verify critical information independently

8. Contributing

By contributing to StackIndex (via pull requests, issues, or other means), you agree that:

  • Your code contributions will be licensed under the MIT License
  • Your data contributions will be licensed under CC BY 4.0
  • You have the right to contribute the content
  • Your contributions do not infringe on any third-party rights

9. Questions About Licensing

If you have questions about using StackIndex code or data, or need clarification on licensing terms, please contact us:

10. License Versions and Updates

This license page documents the current licensing terms. For historical versions and changes:

  • Check the LICENSE file in our GitHub repository for code license
  • Review commit history for any license changes
  • Major license changes will be announced on our homepage

Note: Once released under a specific license, that version remains available under that license even if future versions adopt different terms.

Related Information

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