A Beginner’s Guide to Open‑Source Terminology

Bosch IoT Suite Rated “Best in Class”

In the latest Teknowlogy | PAC RADAR report, the Bosch IoT Suite was recognized as the “best in class” among open‑source‑based IoT platforms.

Read the full report

Open‑source software has become a cornerstone of modern technology. Whether you’re building a product or contributing to a community, understanding the key terms can help you navigate this ecosystem confidently.

Project

At the core of every open‑source community lies the project. A project hosts all artifacts—source code, documentation, test suites, build scripts—that collectively address a specific problem domain.

Git / GitHub

Git is a distributed version‑control system that tracks changes in source code. It is the standard tool for managing the history of an open‑source project.

GitHub, now part of Microsoft, offers a hosted Git service with additional collaboration features. It has become the de‑facto hub for most open‑source projects.

Committer

Committers are trusted contributors with write access to the repository. They review incoming changes, decide what is merged, and shape the project's future direction.

Contributor

When a user identifies a missing feature or improvement, they can become a contributor by submitting a pull request. The request is reviewed and, if accepted, merged by a committer.

Pull Request

A pull request (PR) is the primary mechanism for proposing changes. It allows the community to discuss, test, and approve modifications before they become part of the main codebase.

Contribution License Agreement (CLA)

A CLA is a legal contract that contributors sign to clarify ownership and licensing of their submissions. While not all projects require a CLA—many rely on the project's open‑source license—CLAs help prevent downstream legal conflicts.

Open‑Source License

Unlike proprietary software sold under commercial licenses, open‑source projects are distributed under permissive or copyleft licenses such as BSD, MIT, Apache 2.0, and GPLv3. Each license dictates how the code can be used, modified, and redistributed. All major licenses are OSI‑approved and meet the Open Source Definition.

Open‑Source Foundation

An open‑source foundation is a non‑profit umbrella that hosts multiple projects and establishes governance, policies, and best practices. Foundations provide a vendor‑neutral environment for collaboration, ensuring transparency and long‑term sustainability.