FOSSology vs OSCake
FOSSology
fossology.orgOSCake
github.comSide by side
| Figure | FOSSology | OSCake |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 0 |
| Spec score · Open Source License Compliance Software | 8.8 (#2) | 6.8 (#27) |
| License | The main source is GPL-2.0; libfossdb and libfossrepo are exceptions licensed LGPL-2.1. | The project is licensed under Eclipse Public License 2.0 and the README states the software is provided “AS IS” without warranties or conditions. |
| Purpose | FOSSology is an open-source license-compliance system and toolkit for scanning software for license, copyright, and export-control information. | OSCake is an Xtext/Xtend-based engine that turns package collection descriptions and their compliance artifacts into an Open Source Compliance File for distribution with the package collection. |
| Support | The project provides voluntary community support through its mailing list and invites users to report bugs through GitHub issues. | The README lists GitHub issues and [email protected] as support and feedback channels. |
Plans
In their own words
FOSSology
FOSSology is an open-source system for examining software for license, copyright, and export-control information. Upload individual files or packages, then unpack and scan them with selected agents. Nomos looks for license indicators through phrases, regular expressions, and heuristics; Monk checks text against stored license texts or phrases supplied by users. Its web interface supports review of findings, license-text management, bulk recognition, aggregated file views, and reusing reviews for files with matching hashes. It can identify copyright statements and presents keyword-based findings that users can review for possible export-control relevance. Reports include SPDX 2.0 exports, Debian copyright files, hierarchical file lists with license identifiers, and Readme files with identified license and copyright details. A REST API supports CI/CD use, uploads, and scan triggers from other applications; the command line can retrieve SPDX files. Deployment options include Docker, Vagrant with VirtualBox, or source installation. It is free, with on-premise deployment options. One stated limit: it cannot determine which libraries produced a binary; binary analysis tools are needed for that task.