How We Work Together

1. Free and Open for Everyone

Istek is released as open source software under the MIT License. This means:

• You may use Istek for any purpose, including commercial use, free of charge
• You may modify, copy, and distribute the software
• You may use Istek within your organization without any licensing fees
• There are no restrictions on personal or commercial usage

2. Looking Ahead: Future Pricing

We believe in being transparent about our plans. While Istek is currently completely free for everyone, we may introduce pricing for commercial usage of our pre-built binaries in the future to sustain the project's development.

Here's what you can expect:

• Individual users: Will always remain free, whether for personal projects, learning, or professional work
• Commercial organizations: May require a paid license for pre-built binaries in the future
• Source code: Will always remain open source under MIT License - you can build from source for free

3. The Legal Stuff (MIT License)

The Software is provided under the MIT License, which grants you the following rights:

4. Play Nice

While Istek is open source and free to use, you agree to use the Software responsibly:

• Do not use Istek to conduct malicious activities against APIs or services
• Do not use Istek to violate the terms of service of any third-party API
• Do not misrepresent the Software as your own creation without proper attribution
• Respect the intellectual property rights of others when testing APIs

5. Your Data, Your Responsibility

Istek is designed to keep your data under your control:

• All API requests, responses, collections, and configurations are stored locally on your device
• We do not operate any cloud services that store or process your data
• You are solely responsible for backing up your data
• If you use Git Sync, you are responsible for the security of your Git repository

For more details, please review our Privacy Policy.

6. Working with Other Services

Istek allows you to connect to various third-party services:

• APIs: You are responsible for complying with the terms of service of any API you test
• MCP Servers: Third-party MCP servers have their own terms and privacy policies
• Secret Providers: AWS, Azure, GCP, and HashiCorp Vault integrations are subject to their respective terms
• Git Providers: GitHub, GitLab, and other providers have their own terms of service

We are not responsible for the availability, security, or terms of any third-party service.

7. Staying Current

We may release updates, bug fixes, or new features for Istek at any time:

• The application will notify you when updates are available
• You may choose whether to install updates
• We recommend keeping the Software up to date for security and stability
• We are not obligated to provide updates, but we strive to actively maintain the project

8. Building Together

We welcome contributions from the community:

• Code contributions are accepted through GitHub pull requests
• By contributing, you agree to license your contributions under the MIT License
• Feature requests and bug reports can be submitted through GitHub Issues
• Community discussions are hosted on GitHub Discussions

9. No Guarantees

Istek is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not guarantee that Istek will meet your requirements, operate uninterrupted, or be error-free.

10. Boundaries of Responsibility

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall the Istek project, its contributors, or maintainers be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or business opportunities, arising from or related to your use of Istek. This includes any damages resulting from API testing, data loss, or security incidents.

11. Protecting the Project

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Istek project, its contributors, and maintainers from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the Software or violation of these Terms.

12. Parting Ways

These Terms remain in effect while you use Istek. You may terminate your agreement by uninstalling the Software and ceasing all use. The open source license grant survives termination, meaning you retain your rights under the MIT License even after you stop using the official distribution.

13. Legal Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable open source software principles and the laws of the jurisdiction where you reside, without regard to conflict of law provisions.

14. Evolving Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The most current version will always be available on this page. Continued use of Istek after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. Significant changes will be communicated through our GitHub repository.

15. Let's Talk

If you have any questions about these Terms, please reach out through:

• GitHub Discussions: github.com/istekapp/istek/discussions