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Methodology

How we score open-source health

Every open-source tool in our directory carries a Health score from 0 to 100, calculated from each project's own live GitHub data. It's built from three public signals — nothing hidden and nothing paid. Here's the exact math.

96/ 100
Excellent
Top ~3% of OSS projects

The formula at a glance

Each project starts from an editorial baseline, then earns points for how current and widely-adopted it is. The result is clamped to a 0–100 scale.

50Base · editorial vetting++30Recency · max++15Community · max++5Adoption · max=0–100Health score

The three signals

up to +30
Commit recency

How recently the maintainers pushed code. Fresh commits are the single strongest sign a project is alive.

Pushed in the last 2 days+30
Within the last week+24
Within the last month+15
Within the last quarter+6
Older than 90 days+0
up to +15
Community size

GitHub stars — a proxy for how many developers trust, watch and rely on the project.

50,000+ stars+15
20,000+ stars+11
5,000+ stars+7
1,000+ stars+3
Under 1,000+0
up to +5
Real adoption

Forks — a signal that people are actually building on, extending or self-hosting the code, not just bookmarking it.

5,000+ forks+5
1,000+ forks+3
Under 1,000+0

What each score means

92–100ExcellentTop ~3% of open-source projects
80–91StrongActively maintained
65–79HealthySteady development
50–64FairSlower release cadence
0–49At riskLow recent activity

A worked example

Take a fast-moving project that shipped code today, has 30k stars and 8k forks:

50Base++30Pushed today++1120k+ stars++55k+ forks=96Excellent
What the Health score is — and isn't

It measures project momentum and community adoption from public GitHub data, refreshed daily. It is not a security audit, a code-quality grade, or a paid ranking — no vendor can buy a higher score. Treat it as one honest signal among many, and always test a tool against your own needs.

Grounded in established practice

Our score is intentionally simple, but the signals it uses — activity, popularity and adoption — are the same ones recognised open-source health frameworks rely on. If you need a deeper or security-focused assessment, these are the standards to reach for:

We don't claim parity with these frameworks — ours is a fast, at-a-glance signal for buyers comparing tools, not a formal audit. For security or governance decisions, use the standards above directly.

FAQ

Is a higher Health score always better?

It reflects momentum and adoption, not fitness for your use case. A niche, stable tool can score lower than a trendy one yet still be the right choice. Use it as one input, alongside the tool's features, license and your own testing.

How often is the score updated?

Every project page pulls fresh GitHub data on a daily revalidation cycle, so the score tracks real commit activity, stars and forks over time rather than a one-time snapshot.

Is this a security or code-quality audit?

No. The Health score measures project momentum and community adoption using public GitHub signals. It is not a security review, a code-quality grade, or an endorsement. Always evaluate a project against your own requirements.

Does every tool get a Health score?

Yes — every open-source project in the directory is scored by this formula, using its own live GitHub data. No tool is scored by hand and no score is set by the vendor, so the numbers stay comparable across the whole directory.

Why start every project at 50?

The 50-point base reflects the fact that a project only appears in our directory after editorial vetting. The remaining 50 points are earned from measurable, current signals — recency, stars and forks — so the score can move as the project does.

Can a project reach 100?

Yes — a project pushing code daily with a very large, widely-forked community reaches the top of the scale. It's deliberately hard to hit, so "Excellent" stays meaningful.

See the score in action
Browse the directory — every project shows its live Health score.
Explore open-source tools →