Seven years ago, we surveyed 5,500 open source contributors to understand the people who use, build, and maintain open source software. This year, we repeated the effort to understand how the open source ecosystem has evolved in the face of the seismic technological and social shifts we’ve seen since 2017. We received 8,400 responses from visitors to open source repositories, and we’re once again sharing the insights with the community.
With AI, funding, innersource, security, and innovation taking center stage, the 2024 survey surfaces the issues shaping the future of open source while also showing how far we’ve come. By tracking long-term trends and exploring emerging topics, we aim to provide a comprehensive and actionable perspective on the forces influencing open source today.
So, what are some of the key trends we’ve identified?
Security is a priority
In 2024, we introduced questions centered on secure by design to gain insights into how developers assess open source projects for security practices. 82% of respondents said they consider secure by design practices important when adopting open source, and 62% prioritize security when choosing where to contribute.
AI adoption is growing
The use of AI tools is on the rise with 72% of participants saying they use AI tools like GitHub Copilot for coding or documentation.
Diversity is increasing
Diversity within the open source community has steadily increased over the years, bringing with it a broader range of perspectives and backgrounds to the community. Respondents identifying as ethnic minorities rose from 13% in 2017 to 18% in 2024, and those identifying as immigrants grew from 27% to 31%.
Those are just a few points we’ve gleaned from this year’s data. Visit opensourcesurvey.org and explore the data to see what other insights you can find regarding the changing community attitudes around privacy, harassment, funding, and community health!
Supporting Open Source Together
GitHub is investing $1.25M through the Secure Open Source Fund to help maintainers address security challenges. As open source champions, we call on organizations, governments, and funders to collaborate and invest in its future.
With over 75 million new GitHub users since our last survey, the open source community is more resilient and diverse than ever. Together, we can shape a secure and inclusive open source future.
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