Beta Repository metrics via GraphQL: LastContributionDate and CommitCount

[ahpook]

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There are two new metrics available under the Repository object in the GraphQL API:

• LastContributionDate - The most recent date there was any of the following activity: a commit to a repository’s default branch, opening an issue or discussion, answering a discussion, proposing a pull request, or submitting a pull request review. This is a good single-number metric to find projects that may be unmaintained or in need of archiving.
• CommitCount - A monotonically increasing count of the total number of commits pushed to the default branch of the repository. Tracking the change in this over time will give a sense of the overall activity in the repository.

These metrics are currently in public beta, so you will need to include a header to your GraphQL requests to opt-in:

GraphQL-Features: ospo_metrics_api

Please let me know here if you find these useful! Unless something goes horribly wrong, after a period of comment we'll make them generally available and remove the requirement for a feature flag.

[mathstuf]

CommitCount - A monotonically increasing count of the total number of commits pushed to the default branch of the repository. Tracking the change in this over time will give a sense of the overall activity in the repository.

How does Github guarantee this increases in the cases of:

• force pushes removing commits from the default branch?
• changing the default branch?

Do the counts just sit until the new configuration reaches a previously reported commit count? Or is this more accurate if "monotonically increasing" is removed?

[ahpook]

Fair point @mathstuf , it's probably better to under-specify how it will behave because I'm pretty sure we can't guarantee it will always increase in the cases you describe.

[mathstuf]

I'd also suggest using "reachable from" rather than "pushed to". Unless you're counting all unique commits reachable from all pushed refs to the default branch ;) .

[ghostinhershell]

Thanks so much for sharing with the community @ahpook! 🚀

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[sergiinvestor]

The introduction of LastContributionDate and CommitCount in the GraphQL API is a valuable addition for developers seeking deeper insights into repository activity. Tools like Gitlights leverage these metrics to offer comprehensive analytics on contribution patterns and commit histories. For instance, Gitlights provides visualizations that help in understanding the frequency and distribution of commits over time:

Utilizing such tools alongside the new GraphQL metrics can significantly enhance repository management and decision-making processes.