Activity Metrics That Matter
Use data to evaluate project health.
Key Metrics
Commit Frequency
Healthy: >= 5 commits/week
Concerning: 1-5 commits/week
Unhealthy: < 1 commit/monthIssue Resolution
| Metric | Good | Bad |
|---|---|---|
| Time to close issue | < 2 weeks | > 3 months |
| Issue response time | < 2 days | > 1 week |
| Open vs closed ratio | 1:5 | 1:1 or worse |
PR Metrics
Good PR Project:
- Merged PRs within 2 weeks
- Code review feedback constructive
- Tests required before merge
- Clear labeling and milestones
Bad PR Project:
- PRs sit unreviewed for months
- Hostile review feedback
- No tests required
- No organizationRelease Frequency
Healthy: Regular releases (monthly/quarterly)
Stalled: No release in 6+ months
Dead: No release in 1+ yearTools for Analysis
- GitHub Insights: Pulse, Contributors, Traffic
- OpenHub: Project statistics and history
- GrimoireLab: Deep analytics on development
- DevStats: Kubernetes-style community metrics
Interpreting the Data
High Activity + Responsive Maintainers
= Healthy Project
High Activity + Unresponsive Maintainers
= Risky (might be chaotic)
Low Activity + Responsive Maintainers
= Stable/Mature (less drama)
Low Activity + Unresponsive Maintainers
= AVOIDQuestions to Ask Data
- Is the project growing or shrinking?
- Are contributors new or same people?
- Is maintenance reactive or proactive?
- What's the dependency update frequency?
- How often are security patches released?
Data doesn't lie. Numbers tell the story of project health better than words.