"Open source" or "open-source"?

Question

Would you say both are correct? I have a doubt about "open-source", but I've seen it quite a lot.

Thank you.

Answer 1

There is no difference between hyphenated and unhyphenated versions. There are no stringent rules for compound words. You can use both versions: open-source, and open source. They both mean same.

Further readings:

When should compound words be written as one word, with hyphens, or with spaces?

Can word-hyphenation ever be semantically significant?

“Side effects”, or “Side-effects”?