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Software Engineering vocabulary · Programming Concepts

Open source

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

adjectiveCore term

In software engineering, open source means: Describes software whose source code is public, so anyone can read, use, change and share it under the terms of its license.

In Turkish: açık kaynak, açık kaynak kodlu

How it is used

Written 'open-source' with a hyphen before a noun (an open-source library) and 'open source' after a verb (the project is open source). You contribute to open source or open-source a tool. Check a project's license before using it at work.

Example sentences

  1. We use an open-source library for PDF generation, so check its license first.

  2. Contributing to open source is a great way to practice code review in English.

Common collocations

  • open-source project
  • contribute to open source
  • open-source license
  • open-source a tool
  • source codeThe human-readable instructions that programmers write in a programming language, before they are turned into a program the computer can run.
  • forkTo make your own copy of someone else's repository on a platform such as GitHub, so you can change it freely and later propose your changes back.
  • libraryA collection of ready-made code that other programs can use, so that developers don't have to write common things like date handling or HTTP requests themselves.
  • repositoryA storage place for a project's code and its full history of changes, usually managed with Git and often hosted online.

More terms: Programming Concepts

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