How to Query Open Source Licenses in BigQuery

Galaxy Glossary

How do I query open-source licenses in BigQuery?

Use SELECT statements on BigQuery’s public GitHub dataset to inspect, filter, and aggregate open-source license data.

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Description

Example H2

Example H3

Why query open-source licenses in BigQuery?

Quickly audit codebases, track license trends, and ensure compliance by scanning millions of GitHub repositories already mirrored in BigQuery’s public datasets.

Which tables contain license data?

The bigquery-public-data.github_repos.licenses table stores one row per repository license. Pair it with sample_contents or your own tables for deeper insights.

How do I select license fields?

Use a standard SELECT listing the columns you need, then FROM the licenses table.Apply WHERE filters to narrow results and GROUP BY for roll-ups.

Example: count MIT licenses

SELECT license, COUNT(*) AS repo_count FROM `bigquery-public-data.github_repos.licenses` WHERE license = 'MIT' GROUP BY license;

How can I join license data with my ecommerce tables?

Store repository URLs for each product in a Products table.Join that list against the public dataset to pull license info for each item you sell.

Example join

SELECT p.id, p.name, l.license FROM Products p JOIN `bigquery-public-data.github_repos.licenses` l ON p.repo_url = l.repo_name;

How do I control costs?

Always select only needed columns, use date or license filters, and preview query bytes.Partition or materialize results when repeatedly accessed.

What are best practices?

• Reference tables with full project IDs.
• Use LIMIT during development.
• Persist heavy joins to temporary tables.
• Keep API keys and secrets out of shared queries.

What’s a real-world workflow?

1. Build a list of repositories tied to your products.
2. Query licenses.
3. Store flagged GPL or AGPL repos in a review table.
4. Share dashboards with legal teams.

Common mistakes

Scanning the entire dataset

Forgetting a WHERE clause can read 100+ GB.Always filter.

Assuming one license per repo

Some repositories have multiple licenses. Aggregate correctly or deduplicate first.

Why How to Query Open Source Licenses in BigQuery is important

How to Query Open Source Licenses in BigQuery Example Usage


-- Flag products using GPL-licensed code
CREATE TEMP TABLE gpl_products AS
SELECT p.id,
       p.name,
       l.license
FROM   Products p
JOIN   `bigquery-public-data.github_repos.licenses` l
       ON p.repo_url = l.repo_name
WHERE  l.license LIKE '%GPL%';

How to Query Open Source Licenses in BigQuery Syntax


SELECT column_list
FROM `bigquery-public-data.github_repos.licenses`
[WHERE license = 'license_name']
[GROUP BY column_list]
[ORDER BY expression]
[LIMIT n];

-- Ecommerce-style example
SELECT p.id,
       p.name,
       l.license
FROM   Products       AS p
JOIN   `bigquery-public-data.github_repos.licenses` AS l
       ON p.repo_url = l.repo_name
WHERE  l.license IN ('MIT','Apache-2.0');

Common Mistakes

Full-table scans without filters: BigQuery charges by bytes read. Fix by projecting only needed columns and adding WHERE license filters.
Misinterpreting multiple licenses per repo: Repositories can list several licenses. Fix by aggregating or deduplicating before compliance checks.