The Top 20 Blockchain Projects for Developer Activity—October, 2019

You can tell a whole lot about the state of a project or application by the amount of activity it has on Github. Projects with lots of action are more likely to be in the midst of BUIDLing and shipping, while a Github that’s populated only by lonesome tumbleweeds is a sign of a project that’s either not moving forward or is so perfect that it doesn’t require any more work — and that is something of a rarity.

State of the Dapps does a great job of harvesting data from Github, including commits, pushes, issues, and pull requests from open source projects and Dapps representing the most notable platforms that support decentralized apps — including Ethereum, EOS, Steem, and xDai. The result is a bird’s eye view of developer activity in the blockchain space.

Although this information is by no means a definitive or complete picture of the blockchain ecosystem for countless reasons, the Github data illustrates some interesting trends regarding developer activity in the blockchain space in regards to open source projects. Don’t see your favorite project listed below? Encourage them to make their activity public and published on State of the Dapps.

The month of October showed significant changes in rankings for activity on Github, with newcomers on the list outpacing development by list regulars. Although Ethereum-based projects still dominate the list from top to bottom, it seems that the blockchain industry’s developers must have all been busy at Devcon, because numbers were down across the board after a period of sustained growth this Summer. 

Below are the top 20 projects on State of the Dapps by developer activity over the past 30 days as of October, 2019…

1. Status

There is yet to be an edition of this list where Mobile Ethereum OS Status has not topped the rankings at number 1. Status has long been a leader in the blockchain space, and recent activity on Github — with 5675 event over the past 30 days — indicates that the sizable Status team continues to outperform challengers while developing the iOS, Android, and desktop version of the Status app. The number shows a very slight drop off since last month, while retaining a sizable lead against all other projects list
ed.

2. Storj

Decentralized cloud storage network Storj is working fast after the launch of the Pioneer 1 Beta for its V3 network, on towards Pioneer 2 Beta and production launch later this year. Additionally, the team has implemented a number of additional endeavors, like its Open Source Partner Project, and its Tardigrade cloud storage platform. The Storj team maintains second position this month with 4966 commits—a 20% jump from the month preceding, and one of the few projects this month to actually raise its figures. It’s another remarkable figure from one of the most productive teams in all of blockchain.

3. Augur

If you didn’t lay down a crypto wager on sports, politics, or even the death of a public figure this month—do you even blockchain? Augur’s platform of a decentralized oracle and prediction market protocol is one of the most remarkable projects live on the Ethereum Mainnet right now—and the team put up a big 4035 events on the Augur Github last month. That’s enough to bring Augur up two spots to #3. With its v2 launch is impending, the Augur Blog also provides weekly updates on development for a more granular breakdown.

4. Cosmos

After launching a Mainnet iteration, the Tendermint-based blockchain interoperability platform Cosmos holds steady on its impressive recent performance with 3860 commits over the past 30 days, settling into a rhythm after 22% decrease earlier in the Summer. Cosmos’ iteration of its Cosmos Hub is well underway with the launch of Lunie, its native crypto wallet application.

5. Aragon

The Aragon project drops to #5  after a big move up the developer charts this summer. The Ethereum mainstay has long held credibility for being a well-run operation, and its platform for creating decentralized organizations presents a powerful proposition—one upon which you can create your own blockchain-enabled organization on the Ethereum Mainnet right now. The Aragon team committed 3216 events to Github over the past 30 days to bring it to #5, down approximately 16% from the month prior.

6. Origin Protocol

Origin Protocol, which utilizes Ethereum and IPFS to create decentralized marketplaces. The Origin Beta and mobile app are already live on the Ethereum Mainnet, and you can use them to purchase all sorts of rare, exciting, and sometimes bizarre items like a violin from the 1800s, Ethereum holographic art, and luxury vacation rentals all over the world. With 2994 commits over the past 30 days— and despite a major 40% drop from last month’s performance — the Origin platform continues to grow. 

7. 0x

0x maintains traction after big jump in its developmental pace recently with 2906 commits, albeit at a 26% decrease from last month. With over 30 projects utilizing the 0x infrastructure for creating all kinds of decentralized marketplaces to the tune of 700k+ total transactions, signs suggest that one of the most talented teams in blockchain is making important strides forward.

8. High Fidelity

High Fidelity, the virtual reality platform launched by the founders of seminal virtual world Second Life, already hosts virtual events and is now working towards EOS integration. The High Fidelity Github housed 2906 events last month, which represents a notable 20% rise from reports last month.

9 . Raiden Network

Solid work continues on Raiden Network, the well-known off-chain scaling solution that enables near-instant, low-fee and scalable payments. Its Alpha version is stable and currently available for integration into Ethereum projects on Mainnet, and release candidates and more experimental editions are also available to use for the more intrepid developers. With 2822 commits last month—a 25% drop from the month prior—the Raiden Network holds on strong to its position in the Top 20. 

10. Gnosis

Ethereum-focused BUILDing powerhouse Gnosis has done much for the blockchain community already in launching its multifaceted prediction market, DutchX smart contracts, the Gnosis Safe, and the Gnosis Olympia Alpha — all to help create the tools with which others can launch their own marketplaces and redistribute the future. The Gnosis team notched up 2946 events on Github this month, down 37% from the month prior, but still enough for a solid mid-table finish. 

11. Trust Wallet

A secure multi-coin wallet for Android and OS devices utilized by many leading organizations around the crypto-sphere, Trust Wallet is also the partner wallet for cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Not even in the top 20 earlier this year, Trust Wallet rocketed up the dev activity charts and has shown few signs of slowing down since then with 2250 commits over the past 30 days—a sizable 32% drop from the month prior.

12. OmiseGO

Thailand-based OmiseGO has been focusing on scaling and interoperability on the Ethereum Network since its launch. With MVPs and testnets of scaling solution Plasma already produced, OmiseGO’s varied and substantial developer work resulted in 2198 events on Github this month.

13. Metamask

Everyone’s favorite blockchain browser extension is a cornerstone of the Ethereum ecosystem, and fittingly is always near the top of this list. Now boasting millions of downloads and a rapidly expanding suite of products, Metamask’s lithe team is always hard at work improving the Metamask product and launching a mobile edition of its product, and registered 2017 events on Github last month.

14. Civil

A blockchain-enabled reworking of journalism and media, Civil uses Ethereum to fund newsrooms and ensure the veracity of their reporting. A longtime leader in the space, Civil enters the Top 20 dev charts this month with 1984 events—that’s a massive 104% increase on the month prior.

15. IoTex

A blockchain platform for the Internet of Trusted Things, IoTex maintains its position in the Top 20 with development on its IoTex Voting Portal racking up 1927 Github events this month. This represents a steady trajectory, and a formidable number after launching its version of Mainnet earlier this year.

16. OpenZeppelin

A smart contract powerhouse that offers “battle-tested libraries of smart contracts for Ethereum and other blockchains” alongside standards for building decentralized applications, OpenZeppelin debuts on the Top 20 charts this month with 1591 events on its Github in October. That’s a major 61% increase from the month prior.

17. Santiment

Cryptocurrency data dashboard Santiment follows up its return to the Top 20 last month by holding steady on its developmental pace. With over 1200 assets tracked over 50 metrics and counting, Santiment developer activity tracked 1562 events on Github over the past month—albeit at a 25% decrease—on products like SANbase and SANgraph.

18. SingularityNET

SingularityNET, which lets anyone create, share, and monetize AI services at scale, has been pushing forward with the next phase in its development for some time. With its Beta portal live, SingularityNET Studio in production, and an active community built around its developer portal, the project’s ambitious plan for a global AI marketplace is looking more and more like a reality. With 1546 events on the SingularityNET Github last month, this is definitely a project upon which to keep your eyes peeled.

19. Aion Network

An interoperable platform with smart contract functionality for launching decentralized apps, Aion Network has a worldwide network of developers and community utilizing its technology, and features everything from documentation to dev tools. The platform returns to the top 20 this month after a 6 month break with 1511 Github commits in October, a 16% increase from the month prior.

20. Neufund

Berlin-based Neufund is a platform for issuing security tokens on the Ethereum blockchain through ‘Equity Token Offerings,’ and the project’s developmental work often finds its team cracking the Top 20. With 1440 events on its Github last month — down 25% from the month before — its investment platform is currently live with a number of projects in the midst of fundraising.