Standard
SPDX
SPDX is an open standard, ISO/IEC 5962:2021, for describing software components and their licences, with a list of short licence identifiers.
How it connects
What it is
- SPDX is a kind of Metadata standard. Shared formats for data about software origin and licensing.
Who is behind it
- SPDX developed by Linux Foundation. An open source project hosted by the Linux Foundation.
Related to
- SPDX relates to Open licence. Its License List gives open and other licences standard identifiers.
- SPDX relates to Open-source software. Its licence list covers free, open and collaborative software.
Links
Details
Also known as: Software Package Data Exchange
Description
SPDX is hosted by the Linux Foundation. Its License List gives each common licence a short identifier such as MIT or Apache-2.0 and covers software, data, hardware and documentation licences. It records facts and makes no legal interpretation.
Attributes
| url | https://spdx.dev/ |
|---|---|
| identifiers | wikidata: Q2297620 |
| status | active |
| governance | Community |
| since | 2011 |
| prominence | extended |
| type | Standard |
| standardKind | metadata-schema |
| Tags | region: global, openness: open source |
Sources
- https://spdx.dev/about/(opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-11-13): ISO/IEC 5962:2021; hosted by the Linux Foundation; no legal interpretations.
- https://spdx.org/licenses/(opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-11-13): License List: standardized short identifiers for licences of software, data, hardware, documentation.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_Package_Data_Exchange(opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-11-13): First published August 2011; ISO/IEC 5962:2021 published August 2021.
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2297620(opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-11-13)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-13
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