Layer-1 Blockchains Dominate Developer Interest as Ethereum Maintains its Lead
Despite the growth of layer-2 networks, layer-1 blockchains, led by Ethereum, continue to attract the majority of developers, with venture capital-backed projects and dApps like Chainlink also gaining traction, according to Token Terminal's report.
Despite the rapid expansion of layer-2 blockchain networks, developers continue to gravitate towards layer-1 blockchains. Ethereum remains the preferred network for active developers, according to Token Terminal's weekly fundamentals report on March 30. The top 25 projects by active developer numbers are predominantly layer-1 blockchains.
Active developers are defined as distinct GitHub users who made more than one commit to a project's public repositories in the past 30 days. Ethereum tops the list with 186 daily active developers in the past month, followed by Polkadot and Kusama with 171 daily developers.
Venture capital-backed projects like Sui and Aptos (APT) blockchains have also experienced a 20% increase in active daily developers over the past month. The report attributes this growth to the significant funding these projects have received.
While layer-1 blockchains capture the majority of developers, layer-2 networks have also seen growth. Polygon leads this sector with 46 daily active developers over the past 30 days, with Optimism and Arbitrum following closely behind.
Chainlink (LINK) tops the dApp category with 77 active developers in the past month, witnessing a 7% increase over the past month and a 20% gain in the past three months. Osmosis and Lido also demonstrate developer popularity.
The study concludes that the number of active developers is an essential metric for investors, as it provides valuable context for a protocol's revenue generation.
