Ethereum Layer-2 Scaling Solutions Starknet and zkSync See Growth in Developer Counts
Data shows that Ethereum layer-2 scaling solutions Starknet and zkSync have experienced an increase in their total monthly active developer counts over the past year. While Starknet and zkSync saw modest increases of 3% and 6% respectively, Ethereum, Polygon, and Solana witnessed declines of 23%, 43%, and 57% in their developer counts during the same period. The data is from a developer report by Electric Capital, which covers the timeframe up to October 1.
Overall Decrease in Monthly Active Developers
The report reveals that there has been a significant decline of 27.7% in the total monthly active developers, dropping from 26,701 to 19,279 over the past year. However, Chainlink, Stellar, Aztec Protocol, and Ripple were able to increase their developer counts as of October 1, although their numbers remained lower than those of zkSync and Starknet.
Starknet and zkSync: Layer-2 Scaling Solutions
StarkWare’s Starknet and Matter Labs’ zkSync are layer-2 solutions designed to scale Ethereum through zero-knowledge rollups. These solutions have gained attention in 2023. Starknet’s recent focus has been on its “Quantum Leap” launch in July, which can potentially increase Ethereum’s transactions per second (TPS) from around 13-15 to a consistent rate of 37 TPS and up to 90 TPS in certain cases. Both Starknet and zkSync have been working on zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine (zkEVM) solutions to further enhance Ethereum scalability throughout this year.
Growth in Established and Emerging Developers
In a thread on X, Enrique Herreros, a software engineer at Electric Capital, highlighted that the departing active monthly developers were mostly newcomers, while the numbers of established and emerging developers remained relatively stable. Newcomers experienced a decrease of 58%, while emerging developers saw a moderate increase of 11% and established developers had a slight increase of 5% over the past year.
Hot Take: Decrease in Developer Numbers During Bear Markets
Enrique Herreros pointed out that the decline in newcomer developers during the past year is a cyclical trend observed in bear markets. During bullish periods, newcomers dominate the developer market, but their numbers decrease when prices begin to fall.
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Hot Take: The Importance of Developer Growth for Ethereum Scaling Solutions
Ethereum layer-2 scaling solutions Starknet and zkSync have seen positive growth in their total monthly active developer counts. This is significant as it indicates the increasing interest and engagement of developers in these platforms. The decline in overall developer counts reflects a broader trend in the industry. However, it is encouraging to see that established and emerging developers have remained relatively stable. This highlights the importance of nurturing and supporting developers, as they play a crucial role in the growth and success of blockchain projects. It is essential for scaling solutions like Starknet and zkSync to continue attracting and retaining talented developers to drive innovation and overcome scalability challenges in the crypto space.
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