How to Pick the Best AI Open-source Projects for Production Use
Science & Technology
Introduction
In the tech startup landscape, relying solely on GitHub stars and download counts can lead to poor choices when it comes to selecting open-source projects for production use. After building two tech startups, I’ve come to realize that these metrics are often misleading. Here, I will share my comprehensive checklist for evaluating open-source projects effectively to avoid future troubles. I'll walk you through the metrics I consider important, using real-life examples from my search for an LLM app development framework.
1. Stars
While it’s common to look at star counts to gauge a project’s popularity, it's essential to analyze the growth history of these stars, as an initial surge can stem from social media hype. For example, I used star-history.com to track the growth of various projects: Diffy, Autogen, Langraph, and Flowise. It's crucial to assess whether there has been consistent growth in star counts over time long after the hype has faded. For instance, Diffy has shown a steady and significant increase in stars compared to the others, demonstrating sustained community engagement.
2. Commit Activity
Commit history can be examined easily on GitHub. Take note of the types of changes being made: are they feature enhancements, bugs, or improvements? Diffy has exhibited substantial commit activity, often with multiple contributors working together to make changes. High commit frequency and a healthy mix of features and bug fixes indicate a robust and active project. A predominance of bug fixes might suggest the project is struggling.
3. Contributors
The number of contributors isn't just about the total count; it's vital to assess active contributors and the frequency of their commits. A growing number of active contributors indicates heightened community interest. For Diffy, there is a strong, active contributor base, which is important for continuity if someone leaves.
4. Issues Monitoring
Evaluating both open and closed issues is critical. A healthy project will have more closed issues than open ones. Reviewing the age and type of issues helps in assessing project management. Diffy demonstrated efficient issue handling, with a higher number of recent closed issues, while some other projects showed long-standing unresolved issues.
5. Releases
The frequency and content of releases—especially noting bug fixes and new features—are vital. Ideally, projects should have weekly to bi-weekly releases to stay in tip-top shape. Analyzing Diffy's structured release notes further reinforced its strong community engagement, showcasing numerous features and enhancements.
6. Documentation
Excellent documentation is pivotal for open-source contributions. A good project should have comprehensive guides, examples, and recent updates. Diffy provides an extensive array of user guides and examples, ensuring that users can effectively utilize the software.
7. Commercial Viability
Understanding the financial backing of a project is another essential metric. Successful commercial open-source projects should have both a free version and a paid model, offering scalability and support as the project grows. Diffy not only offers a commercial model but has also garnered significant investment, ensuring its sustained operation.
8. Social Sentiment
It’s beneficial to gauge the social sentiment surrounding a project through online searches. It allows you to understand how widely recognized and accepted a project is before committing to it.
Conclusion
Ultimately, after evaluating the metrics above, consider whether you are willing to contribute to a project if its original contributors abandon it. This mindset helps mitigate potential risks. For my new LLM app development framework, I chose Diffy due to its great community activity, substantial features, and robust documentation.
Before making a final choice, it is critical to prototype with the selected framework. Building a minimum viable product (MVP) using the open-source solution will reveal practical issues that may not be apparent through superficial evaluation.
Keywords
- Open-source projects
- Production use
- Evaluation metrics
- Stars
- Commit activity
- Contributors
- Issues
- Releases
- Documentation
- Commercial viability
- Social sentiment
FAQ
Q: Why shouldn't I only rely on GitHub stars to evaluate open-source projects?
A: GitHub stars can be misleading as they do not necessarily indicate active use in production but may simply reflect user interest or casual bookmarking.
Q: What is a good indicator of a project's health?
A: A healthy project will have active commit activity, a balanced ratio of open to closed issues, well-documented features, and a strong contributor community.
Q: How often should an open-source project release updates?
A: Ideally, open-source projects should have regular updates, preferably on a weekly to bi-weekly basis to maintain software health and address issues promptly.
Q: What should I check in the documentation?
A: Ensure the project has comprehensive, well-maintained documentation covering features, tutorials, and frequent updates to help users effectively utilize the software.
Q: Is commercial backing important for open-source projects?
A: Yes, having a commercial entity behind an open-source project offers more stability and resources, which can be crucial for the long-term sustainability of the project.