How a developer made $350K+ from an open-source JavaScript library using dual licensing
By
@SachinNeravath
Lightly toasted, lightly seasoned, mostly correct.
Summary
The article explains the dual-licensing business model for commercial open-source software (COSS), using the author's JavaScript library lightGallery as a case study. The author made over $350K in four years by offering the software under both a free GPL license (which requires users to open-source their entire project if they use it) and a paid commercial license. The piece serves as a guide for developers looking to monetize their open-source projects through this licensing strategy.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIn the last four years, I made over $350K from a simple JavaScript library called lightGallery using a dual-licensing business model.
It is a proven commercial open-source strategy where you offer your software under two different licenses.
If a developer chooses the free GPL license and includes that code in their project, as per GPL terms, they are often required to open-source their entire project.
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