Solana Developer Ecosystem
Using GitHub Queries to Scrape Solana-Related Repositories
Using the GitHub queries provided, you will be able to scrape Solana-related repositories based on the libraries used.
Once you have the repositories, you can pull data on who committed code on each day. Pulling commits and subsequent committers, you can start to build up a data set that can tell you trends, retention, and more.
Defining a “Developer on Solana”
Solana-related repositories can be multi-chain or even not be entirely focused on Solana. A great example is an open-source multichain wallet. The focus of a multi-chain wallet repository is likely not just Solana, so it might not be accurate to assume that a developer contributing to that repository is a Solana developer. When we count Solana developers, we count developers working on repositories that happen to support Solana separately from developers working on repositories that are solely focused on Solana development.
Solana Developer Community Statistics
In November, Solana has had:
- Total active developers on projects with a Solana integration, including multi-chain projects: 2053
- Developers working on a project that is only focused on Solana: 1654
This total number of developers shows a holistic view of how the developer community has grown around Solana.
One-Time Developers vs. Full-Time Developers
We can see that there is a decent drop off between one-time developers and full-time developers on Solana. This can help determine the retention rate between someone just trying out Solana for the first time and later becoming a Solana developer.
- One-time developers: 1139
- Full-time developers (committing on 5 or more days in the past month): 120
Limitations of Publicly Available Data
While we can measure a lot about the Solana developer ecosystem, it is good to note that we can only measure data that is currently public. We lose a lot of information on the developer ecosystem for Solana because private repositories or organizations on Github cannot be viewed. Open sourcing code can help developers looking to integrate on your project and give a more accurate view of the number of developers working on Solana today.
Evaluating the Solana Developer Ecosystem
Using knowledge on the libraries and tooling a developer ecosystem uses can help you gather data and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the chain.
Transparency and Updates
The Solana Foundation is committed to transparency, and updates to this data and methodology will be shared regularly by the Developer Relations team. We welcome feedback or comments on how the data was collected and how things can be improved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Solana developer ecosystem is growing and evolving rapidly. By analyzing publicly available data and understanding the differences between one-time developers and full-time developers, we can gain insights into the trends and retention rates of the community. We hope to continue providing updates and insights into the Solana developer ecosystem, and we encourage feedback and comments from the community.
FAQs
Q: What is considered a “Solana developer”?
A: A Solana developer is defined as a developer who is actively contributing to a repository that supports or focuses on Solana, either exclusively or as part of a larger multi-chain project.
Q: How is the number of developers on Solana calculated?
A: The number of developers on Solana is calculated by scraping publicly available data from GitHub and analyzing the libraries and tooling used in each repository. This data is then categorized and filtered to identify developers who are actively contributing to Solana-related projects.
Q: Why is open sourcing code important for the Solana developer ecosystem?
A: Open sourcing code allows developers to easily integrate and contribute to projects, providing a more accurate view of the number of developers working on Solana. This can help to grow the developer community and encourage more collaboration and innovation on the chain.
Q: How often will updates be provided on the Solana developer ecosystem?
A: The Solana Foundation will provide regular updates on the Solana developer ecosystem, including data and methodology changes, to ensure transparency and encourage feedback and comments from the community.
