About CHAOSS

CHAOSS is a Linux Foundation project focused on creating metrics, metrics models, and software to better understand open source community health on a global scale.

Open source software is critically important for both individuals and organizations. This importance raises questions about how we understand the health of the open-source projects we rely on. Unhealthy projects can have negative impacts on the community involved in the project as well as organizations that rely on such projects. CHAOSS is an acronym for Community Health Analytics in Open Source Software. CHAOSS helps people who want to know more about the health of the open-source projects they are engaged with.

  • Open source contributors want to know where they should place their efforts and know they are making an impact.
  • Open source communities want to attract new members, ensure consistent quality, and reward valuable members.
  • Open source companies want to know which communities to engage with, communicate the impact the organization has on the community, and evaluate the work of their employees within open source.
  • Open source foundations want to identify and respond to community needs, evaluate the impact of their work, and promote communities.

CHAOSS Goals

Establish metrics and models for measuring open source community health

Produce open source software and initiatives for measuring community health

Develop programs for the deployment of metrics not attainable through trace data

Work with global partners to shape how we understand open source community health

CHAOSS History

CHAOSS Timeline

Friends of CHAOSS

The following organizations are not directly part of the CHAOSS project but represent (1) projects that use our metrics, metrics models, and software and (2) projects that we have worked closely with in their own open source community health journey. We love our friends!

SaaS Services Using CHAOSS metrics, metrics models, and/or software

Cauldron
OSS Compass

Projects that CHAOSS Recognizes as Critical for Open Source Community Health

All In
The TODO Group