- Solana’s developer community grew in 2023 with 2500-3000 active developers, fostering a healthy ecosystem.
- Developer retention improved to over 50%, driven by better onboarding and growing opportunities.
In a recently released report by the Solana Foundation. The Solana developer ecosystem has witnessed remarkable growth throughout 2023. The number of monthly active developers actively contributing to open-source repositories within the ecosystem has consistently remained between 2500 to 3000. This sustained developer activity reflects the ecosystem’s ability to attract and retain new talent, showcasing its overall health.
Nevertheless, the Solana Foundation supports open-source development on the Solana blockchain, emphasizing innovation and collaboration for future Solana-based applications.
Enhanced Developer Retention
Developer retention is a crucial aspect of a thriving ecosystem. While attracting new talent is important, retaining developers within the community is equally vital for long-term growth. In this regard, Solana has made significant progress in 3-month developer retention. In 2023, the retention rate increased from 31% to over 50%, indicating that more developers stay engaged and make meaningful contributions to the network.
Several factors contribute to this improved retention rate. Enhanced developer onboarding processes, multiple developer bootcamps, and strong support from ecosystem teams have all played a role. Notably, approximately 50% of the top 150 submissions and winners of the recent Solana Hyperdrive Hackathon had completed one of these bootcamps, underscoring their effectiveness in nurturing and retaining talent.
Experienced Developers Leading the Way
The Solana ecosystem benefits from a wealth of experienced developers. Over half of the developers joining the ecosystem boast at least three years of professional experience. This influx of seasoned developers contributes to the quality and sophistication of applications built on the Solana network.
Events like the Solana Hacker Houses, which attract developers and founders worldwide, have further demonstrated the ecosystem’s appeal to experienced professionals. Among the attendees in 2023, 52.5% had more than three years of development experience, surpassing other experience levels.
Global Growth and Inclusivity
Solana’s growth is not confined to a specific region. The ecosystem has embraced a bottom-up approach to community building, expanding outward to include developers from various countries. Initiatives like SuperteamDAO in India, Gen3 in Taiwan, MetacampDAO in Singapore, and mtnDAO in the United States have contributed to this global expansion.
The Solana Hackathons, held every six months, offer insights into regional growth rates. The most recent Hyperdrive hackathon saw participants from 151 countries, with submissions from 65 countries highlighting the ecosystem’s global reach.
Widespread blockchain adoption depends on accessible infrastructure and developer tools that facilitate onboarding and ongoing development. Solana developers are guided by developer experience, ease of maintenance, and overall support.
Solana’s developer experience has seen significant improvements, with a growing repository of resources and matured tooling for onboarding new developers. Additional resources to guide developers from project inception to completion are in development, accelerating the learning curve.
Opportunities on the Horizon
While the Solana developer ecosystem has made remarkable progress in just four years, opportunities for further growth abound. Enhancing the local development environment, implementing a robust event system, and providing end-to-end product examples to accelerate application development are areas where the ecosystem can continue to evolve.
The Solana Foundation remains committed to fostering growth, encouraging new developers to contribute, and supporting the maturation of essential tools. This developer activity aligns with Solana’s impressive performance in the cryptocurrency market, reflecting its growing influence and adoption.
It is worth noting that as of the time of writing Solana is trading at $97.43 with a 24-hour decrease of 4%.
