Glossary · Document and evidence governance
Open-source software
Also known as: Open source, OSS, FOSS
German: Open Source
Open-source software is software whose source code is published under a license that allows anyone to use, study, modify and redistribute it, subject to the license conditions, such as attribution or making modified source code available.
- Compliance
- Cybersecurity
In one sentence
Open-source software is published under a license allowing use, modification and redistribution, subject to conditions like attribution.
Example
An HMI panel runs a Linux-based firmware; the manufacturer ships a license notice listing all open-source components and offers the corresponding source code as required by the GPL.
How it applies
- Engineering: Controllers, gateways and HMIs often contain open-source components; each license brings obligations that must be tracked per release.
- Security: Vulnerabilities in open-source components must be monitored and patched; a software bill of materials (SBOM) supports this and is relevant to the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).
- Documentation: The documentation team is often responsible for license notices and third-party attributions in manuals or product information; they must match the shipped software version.
- Governance: Maintain a policy on which licenses may be used and how components are approved.
Open-source software vs. open-weight model
Open-source licenses cover source code. An Open-weight model publishes AI model weights, often under licenses that differ from classic open-source terms.