Table of content
1. Ethereum
The most active blockchain network
Ethereum is still the most active blockchain network in terms of developer engagement and consumer transactions. Its robust ecosystem—thousands of dApps and smart contracts—draws in more crypto developer activity. With the upgrade to Ethereum 2.0, its security and scalability have improved substantially, making it even more desirable for new blockchain initiatives.
Ethereum handles millions of transactions a day, sometimes even more than that. Simple value transfers, intricate dApp interactions, and decentralized finance (DeFi) procedures are all included in these transactions. The network is often upgraded to increase scalability, security, and efficiency. The most notable update, Ethereum 2.0, changed the network’s model from proof-of-work (PoW) to proof-of-stake (PoS).
| Active Devs | 7,864 |
| Total Repos | 113,103 |
| Total Commits | 58,117,360 |
2. Polkadot
Inexpensive development costs
Developers were drawn to Polkadot because of its para-chain auctions, inexpensive development costs, quick time to market, upgradability, and interoperability. Astar is collaborating with Sony to establish their web3 incubation program, which intends to mentor NFTs and DAO initiatives and encourage innovative web3 use cases. The program includes protocols like the Crust network and decentralized cloud storage.
Polkadot has drawn a large number of developers. The reasons for this are interoperability, upgradability, inexpensive building costs, and a quicker time to market. It also seeks to mentor DAO projects and NFTs. Polkadot has the second-highest developer count. Programming language speed allows for easy customization of the blockchain. Because this blockchain is backward compatible, upgrading chains occurs more quickly.
| Active Devs | 2,107 |
| Total Repos | 25,037 |
| Total Commits | 22,232,604 |
3. Polygon
Remarkable transaction processing speed
Due to Polygon’s remarkable structure, over 1,900 dApps have been developed across various industries, including DAO, gambling, NFT, and more. Many users and developers choose Polygon over Ethereum because of its remarkable transaction processing speed of over 7,000 TPS and its inexpensive transaction costs of about $0.01.
Announced in 2023, Polygon 2.0 is a significant network upgrade that centers on bringing all Polygon protocols under the Zero-Knowledge technology umbrella. The Proof of Stake (PoS) network will be converted to a zkEVM Validium network, and transaction data will be uniquely stored off-chain. The following table contains some data on the essential crypto developer activity of the Polygon blockchain.
| Active Devs | 2,800 |
| Total Repos | 36,766 |
| Total Commits | 22,486,300 |
4. Cosmos
Allows programmers to design unique blockchains
Despite being severely impacted by the Terra LUNA accident, Cosmos’ development base increased by 25%. This rise was caused by the Cosmos SDK framework, which allowed programmers to design unique blockchains and construct their decentralized apps (dApp). Famous decentralized enthusiasts were drawn to this concept, and they traded dYdX for Cosmos when they decided to switch from being an L2 on Ethereum to a sovereign blockchain.
| Active Devs | 2,035 |
| Total Repos | 18,145 |
| Total Commits | 17,825,617 |
With a more than 50% uptickin developer headcount year over year, the Arbitrum ecosystem has seen an exponential rise in developer activity. The core of the ecosystem is provided by Arbitrum One, the official mainnet that went live in 2021. Transactions are processed by the Arbitrum Virtual Machine (AVM), which is interoperable with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Particularly after the ARB airdrop in March 2023, Arbitrum has maintained a steady and remarkable development trajectory regarding transaction volume and network activity. Its development and endurance in the face of the 2022–2023 bear market distinguish the network from other Layer 2 alternatives. Over $2.2 billion was added to its total value locked (TVL) in DeFi, doubling from Q4 2022. The success of major DeFi players on the network, notably GMX and other quickly expanding protocols like Radiant and Stargate, is blamed for this surge in TVL.
| Active Devs | 1,823 |
| Total Repos | 13,603 |
| Total Commits | 14,815,455 |
6. BNB
A strong and dynamic environment for developers
Binance, with its attractive chain, Binance Smart Chain (BSC), has one of the highest crypto developer activity among famous blockchains. Among the several dApps available in BSC’s ecosystem, PancakeSwap stands out as the chain’s most prominent automated market maker (AMM). Two more noteworthy dApps are a yield aggregator called Autofarm and a borrow-lending platform called Venus Protocol. These apps enhance a strong and dynamic environment for both developers and consumers.
Transaction volumes for opBNB and BSC reached all-time highs in 2023. For example, opBNB observed more than 23 million transactions every day, while on one day in December, BSC recorded over 32 million transactions.
| Active Devs | 1,650 |
| Total Repos | 24,024 |
| Total Commits | 17,987,374 |
7. Avalanche
Uses a DAG-powered proof-of-success (PoS) consensus
Avalanche’s distinctive features are revealed by comparing it with other blockchains. In contrast to Solana, which is based on the PoH consensus and has a higher throughput, Avalanche uses a DAG-powered proof-of-success (PoS) consensus. Its consensus process offers a more effective substitute for Ethereum’s longer transaction times by enabling faster transaction finality—roughly 6,500 TPS.
Avalanche’s on-chain activity has more than doubled in 2023, indicating the network’s comeback. The number of daily active addresses has increased from about 25,000 to 60,000, indicative of this rise.
| Active Devs | 1,485 |
| Total Repos | 11,957 |
| Total Commits | 10,564,809 |
Why Is Crypto Developer Activity Important?
The number of developers working on a blockchain gives information about its overall strength and future possibilities. Developers create decentralized applications (DApps) and are responsible for constructing smart contracts, resolving issues, and adding new features for beta testing before release. A blockchain must have as many developers as possible because there is a coin with them. A blockchain devoid of developers would not expand; thus, the more developers, the better.
The term “developer activity” describes the work in the background to improve blockchain systems, address problems, and expand a cryptocurrency network’s functionality and smart contracts. Because Bitcoin projects are open-source, we can watch the deployment of smart contracts on-chain and keep an eye on contributor activity on GitHub to measure developer activity almost instantly.
How To Use Information from Crypto Developer Activity?
Three significant data sets describe crypto developer activity. You can check this data for a short-term perspective on the recent activities around a network. For example, you can understand that around 7,800 active developers work on Ethereum monthly. When you compare this data with previous months, you will discover whether the coin is becoming attractive or not.
The second use of crypto developer activity information is tracking historical blockchain improvements. This means you can trace how that coin has progressed since its existence. This data will be crucial because it shows the blockchain’s inherent power to attract developers in the long term.
Conclusion
Developers are the source of creative applications that might benefit users. Traders and investors use a variety of indicators to assess a cryptocurrency project. Among these measures is developer activity. Usually, this causes a pricing momentum that attracts further developers to the project.
