Ethereum Dominates By Developer Count, But Numbers Still Haven't Recovered From 2022 Peak

Ethereum remains the dominant player when it comes to blockchain developers. According to the Electric Capital Developer Report, as of July 2024, Ethereum has 8

Ethereum still dominates other blockchain networks in terms of developer engagement, despite a decline in numbers.

Key Takeaways

Ethereum has the most blockchain developers, with 8,865 active developers.

Despite a drop in developer count, multi-chain development is on the rise.

The total number of monthly active developers stands at 26,037.

Crucial to bringing innovation to their respective networks, developer numbers are a key metric for blockchain platforms. Ethereum, being the biggest smart contract network, continues to dominate with its vast ecosystem. This fact is reflected in developer numbers.

According to the Electric Capital Developer Report, as of July 2024, Ethereum has 8,865 active developers. This includes 2,788 full-time developers, despite an 18% drop over the past year and 31% over two years.

Base is placed second with a 52% increase in developer count over the past year, bringing the total to 3,991. Out of these, 889 are full-time contributors. Polkadot and Polygon also stand out with 2,414 and 2,877 developers, respectively. However, both have seen declines. Polkadot’s count decreased by 13% over the past year, while Polygon experienced a 33% drop.

Solana remains significant in high-throughput applications like decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), with 2,856 developers. Although it saw a 14% growth over the past year, it has experienced a 24% decline over two years.

The total number of monthly active developers stands at 26,037, a 10% decrease over the past year and a 23% drop over two years. However, there’s a 32% increase over three years.

The report categorizes developers into full-time, part-time, and one-time contributors. Full-time developers, numbering 7,661, saw an 11% drop over the past year. Part-time developers, the largest group at 14,260, decreased by 12%. One-time contributors, now at 4,116, reduced by 4%. This overall decline reflects the broader market downturn post-March 2022 peak.

Single-Chain vs. Multi-Chain Developers

A significant trend highlighted by the report is the distribution of developers across single-chain and multi-chain projects. Single-chain developers, who focus on individual blockchain platforms, number 19,585 but have seen a 6% decline over the past year and a 21% drop over two years.

In contrast, multi-chain developers—those working across multiple blockchain ecosystems—number 6,452. Despite a 21% decline over the past year, multi-chain development has grown by 49% over the last three years. This indicates a growing focus on interoperability and cross-chain applications.