Open Source Success: Learnings from 1 Billion Downloads

Explore key insights from a billion open-source downloads in this conference talk from Conf42 Observability 2024. Delve into the data collection process, understand the definition of a "user" in this context, and discover how open-source software is utilized globally, including in remote areas and by governments. Examine the market share of container registries, analyze the differences between downloads and unique users, and learn why download surges may not always indicate real user growth. Gain valuable takeaways on automated system downloads, the importance of rich headers and user agents, and user behavior regarding version upgrades. Understand the significance of these findings for the open-source community and software development practices.

intro
preamble
introduction
talk outline
about the data
how the data is collected
about the data: total volume
what does a "user" mean?
what can an artifact registry actually see?
open source is being used almost everywhere
even in the most remote areas
governments around the world use open source
1.2m
95%
which public clouds?
container registry market share from scarf
2.2%
downloads vs unique users looks very different
many surges in downloads are not real user growth
a lot of your downloads are from automated systems
more clients should set rich headers / user agents
people fo not upgrade versions like you might expect
why does any of this matter?
takeaways
thank you!