Eligibility Requirements
A project must meet all of the following requirements to be listed in the library.
Be Open Source
Must be released under an OSI-recognized license. Projects without a clearly published license will not be listed.
Public Repository
Must have a publicly accessible source code repository (GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg, SourceForge, or self-hosted).
Demonstrated Activity
Must show recent maintenance: commits, releases, issue tracking, or community participation. Projects inactive 24+ months will be marked Archived.
Basic Documentation
Must include a description, installation instructions (where applicable), usage documentation, and contact info.
Legal Compliance
Must not distribute malware, facilitate illegal activities, infringe copyright, or promote hate or violence.
Recognized licenses (non-exhaustive):
Recommended Criteria
Not mandatory but strongly encouraged. These improve project visibility and verification level.
Security Policy
Published security policy and responsible disclosure process.
Code of Conduct
A community Code of Conduct and public discussion channels.
Contribution Guidelines
Clear instructions for potential contributors.
Project Roadmap
Maintainer information, project roadmap, and release history.
Meeting recommended criteria can improve the project's verification level and visibility in the library.
Classification Categories
Projects are classified to help users find the right tools. Classification is not a quality judgment.
Software Applications
Desktop and end-user software.
Development Tools
Compilers, IDEs, libraries, frameworks, and utilities.
System Administration
Infrastructure, monitoring, deployment, and automation tools.
Security & Privacy
Security-focused tools and privacy-enhancing technologies.
Education
Learning platforms, educational software, and training resources.
AI & Data Science
Machine learning, AI, analytics, and scientific computing projects.
Open Hardware
Projects combining open-source software and hardware.
Canadian Projects 🇨🇦
Founded, maintained, or primarily developed in Canada.
Historical Projects
Projects of historical significance no longer actively maintained.
Verification Levels
Projects receive a badge based on the verification level completed by our team.
✓ Verified Project
- ✓ License verified
- ✓ Repository verified
- ✓ Active maintenance confirmed
◎ Community Project
- ✓ Public repository verified
- ⚠ Activity not independently verified
⏳ In Verification
- Submission received and under review.
⊘ Archived
- No longer actively maintained but retained for historical reference.
Exclusions
The LAC may decline or remove listings that match any of the following criteria.
Is not open source
Contains malicious software
Has no public source code
Misrepresents licensing status
Exists solely as spam, advertising, or affiliate marketing
Is a duplicate submission
Submission Policy
Official Policy
The Linux Association of Canada welcomes submissions from individuals, communities, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and commercial entities. Inclusion in the Open Source Library does not constitute endorsement by the Association. All submissions are reviewed for compliance with published listing guidelines and may be classified, verified, archived, or removed as appropriate.
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