The concept of the “blockchain of blockchains,” Polkadot ($DOT), has surged ahead to claim the top spot in terms of cryptocurrency network development activity, as revealed by data from on-chain analytics firm Santiment. This distinction places Polkadot ahead of Kusama ($KSM), its public pre-production environment, and Cardano ($ADA), a smart contract platform.
Santiment’s metric for “development activity” encompasses the volume of work executed by a cryptocurrency project’s developers on the project’s public GitHub repositories within the preceding 30 days. Unlike conventional measures that focus on the sheer count of commits, Santiment’s approach centres around “events.” These events encompass various activities conducted on GitHub repositories, including the push of a commit, repository forking, or the creation of an issue.
By prioritizing events over commits, Santiment avoids the duplication or inaccuracies that can arise when quantifying development activity solely through commit counts. For instance, when a repository is forked, a replica is generated, containing all past commits. By treating forking as a single event, Santiment sidesteps the incorrect attribution of earlier commits to new developers.
According to Santiment, both Polkadot and Kusama have surged ahead of other cryptocurrencies in terms of development activity, each registering a value of 486. Hedera ($HBAR) secured the fourth position, followed by Chainlink ($LINK) in fifth place.
The data underscores Polkadot and Kusama’s substantial lead in development activity, indicating a strong commitment from their respective developer communities. This level of engagement is an encouraging sign for the health and potential of a project. Interestingly, while Polkadot and Kusama have demonstrated robust growth in development activity over recent years, Cardano’s activity has maintained a relatively stable trajectory, albeit at elevated levels.
Development activity serves as a key indicator of developers’ dedication to a project. While it isn’t the sole criterion, heightened development activity often signals a positive stance where the project’s growth is genuinely pursued, rather than being a potential exit scam.
Polkadot’s elevation as the leader in cryptocurrency development activity underscores its growing prominence in the blockchain space. Its innovative approach to interoperability among blockchains has captured the attention of developers and enthusiasts alike, exemplified by the sustained commitment demonstrated by its development community.
