Nmap Public Source License
Nmap is distributed under the terms of the Nmap Public SourceLicense (annotated HTMLversion /plain textversion). This license is based ontheGNU GPLv2,but with important additional terms, conditions, clarifications andexceptions. It also contains a warranty disclaimer and contributoragreement. We believe it is compliant withtheOpenSource Definition, but we haven't gone through their certificationprocess (which requires an attorney).
The primary goals of this license are:
- Keep Nmap free for the millions of individuals and organizations who depend on it.
- Prohibit redistribution and use of Nmap within proprietary hardware and software products. This is because we fund the Nmap Project by selling a specialNmap OEM license for companies that wish to embed Nmap technology within their products.Nmap OEM also includes commercial support, indemnification, and custom Windows builds.
- Keep the Nmap source code available for public review. This helps people understand how Nmap works and evaluate Nmap for security and code quality. Users are even encouraged tosubmit patches that improve Nmap further.
Thelicense itselfis rather terse, so we have createdtheAnnotated HTML Nmap Public SourceLicense. This version includes further reasoning behind andexplanations of the license terms. These annotations are not a legaldocument or legal advice. If you need to knowexactly what thelicense requires, you need to read and understandthelicense itself; ifyou need legal advice, talk to a lawyer.
Note that some releases of Nmap may fall under a previous versionof this license, or a different license entirely. The exact terms fora given version of Nmap can be found in the included LICENSE orCOPYING file. To ease the transition to the NPSL, the first three Nmapreleases made under that license (Nmap 7.90, 7.91, and 7.92) may also be usedunderthepreviousNmap license terms by anyone who prefers those.