Open Source Licenses
Open-source projects and libraries that power Provenance.
Provenance is free and open-source, and it is built on the shoulders of countless other open-source projects. This page acknowledges the emulator cores, libraries, and tools that make it possible.
For the complete, always up-to-date license list — including all 114 RetroArch cores — see the Open Source Licenses page on the Provenance website. That page is automatically synced from the source code and includes live search and filtering.
Native Emulator Cores
The following cores are built directly into Provenance (not via RetroArch). Each entry links to the upstream project and its license.
Saturn, PS1, Lynx, Neo Geo Pocket, PC Engine, PC-FX, Virtual Boy, WonderSwan, NES, SNES, GB, GBC, GBA
RetroArch Cores
Provenance also includes 114 RetroArch / libretro cores. RetroArch is a unified front-end for emulator cores built using the libretro API. These cores cover a wide range of additional systems and are licensed individually by their respective upstream projects — the majority under GPL-2.0-or-later.
For the complete list of all RetroArch cores included in Provenance, with individual license links, see the Open Source Licenses page on the website.
License Types
Provenance and its included cores use a variety of open-source licenses. Here is a plain-language summary:
GPL (GNU General Public License) — v2.0 and v3.0
The most common license in Provenance. GPL requires that any distributed software — including apps incorporating GPL code — make their source code available under the same license. Provenance's source code is publicly available on GitHub.
GPL-2.0-only — Version 2 only; cannot be relicensed under later versions.
GPL-2.0-or-later — Version 2 or any later version at your option.
GPL-3.0-only / GPL-3.0-or-later — Version 3, which adds patent protection clauses.
LGPL (GNU Lesser General Public License)
A more permissive variant of the GPL. LGPL allows the library to be linked into non-GPL software without requiring the whole application to be open-sourced, provided the library itself remains under LGPL. Used by a small number of cores (Opera, PCSX Rearmed, GME).
MIT License
A permissive, short license that allows nearly unrestricted use, copying, modification, and distribution — including in closed-source software — as long as the original copyright notice is preserved. Very business-friendly. Used by Gearcoleco, Mini vMac, Mu, Play!, SameDuck, and TIC-80.
BSD Licenses (2-Clause and 3-Clause)
Similar in spirit to MIT: permissive, allowing redistribution with minimal conditions. The 3-Clause variant adds a non-endorsement clause (you cannot use the project's name to promote your product without permission). Used by Reicast and several RetroArch cores.
MPL-2.0 (Mozilla Public License)
A "weak copyleft" license — modified files must remain under MPL, but they can be combined with code under other licenses. Used by mGBA.
LicenseRef-* (Custom Licenses)
Some projects use custom licenses that are not standard SPDX identifiers. These are denoted with the LicenseRef- prefix:
LicenseRef-FBNeo — Final Burn Neo's custom non-commercial license.
LicenseRef-Genesis-Plus-GX — Genesis Plus GX's custom license (non-commercial use).
LicenseRef-PicoDrive — PicoDrive's custom license terms.
LicenseRef-Snes9x — Snes9x's custom non-commercial license.
LicenseRef-SNESticle — SNESticle's custom license.
LicenseRef-fMSX — fMSX's custom non-commercial license.
Provenance Source Code
Provenance itself is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License. The full source code is available at:
github.com/Provenance-Emu/Provenance
See Also
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