What CHAOSS Community does

CHAOSS (Community Health Analytics in Open Source Software) is a Linux Foundation project established in September 2017 that produces metrics, metrics models, and open source software for measuring the health of open source communities. The project is governed by a 13-member Governing Board elected from the contributing community and operates 10+ active working groups covering areas such as Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, OSPO, University, Science/Research, Data Science, UN SDGs, Funding Impact Measurement, and Accessibility. Its served audiences are individual open source contributors, open source communities, corporates with open source programs (OSPOs), and open source foundations — all of which need standardized ways to assess project viability, contributor sustainability, organizational value, and diversity.

The technology stack consists of three core open source analytics tools: Augur, which retrieves and analyzes repository data with data provenance; GrimoireLab, a set of tools that retrieve, organize, analyze, and visualize software development data (with OpenSearch support added in the v2.0 release in January 2025); and 8knot, a Dash/Plotly-based visualization interface for Augur. The project also runs the DEI Badging Program (with a badging bot managing applications and reviews) and contributes to the OSS Compass SaaS platform. Its metrics library covers 200+ aspects of open source community health, and its tools can analyze data from 20,000+ repositories. Distribution occurs via GitHub repositories under MIT and GPLv3 licenses, with Bitergia embedding the tools in commercial services.

The business model is non-commercial by design. The CHAOSS Charter explicitly states that the project will not raise funds and is supported on a volunteer basis, with The Linux Foundation providing governance, IP, and legal infrastructure. Costs are covered through voluntary event sponsorships (Red Hat, Cisco, Google, ING Bank, openSUSE, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, OLS, CURIOSS) and in-kind contributions such as Bitergia hosting metrix.chaoss.io and ai.chaoss.io. Outreach is community-led via Slack, working group meetings, the CHAOSScast podcast, a YouTube channel, monthly newsletters, and annual CHAOSScon conferences in North America, Europe, and Africa.

Name

CHAOSS Community

Legal name

CHAOSS

Website

https://chaoss.community

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CHAOSS is a Linux Foundation project that builds open source metrics, metrics models, and software—Augur, GrimoireLab, 8knot—for measuring open source community health, serving contributors, communities, OSPOs, and foundations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Volunteer-based / No Commercial Revenue: The CHAOSS project operates on a volunteer basis with no commercial revenue model. Organizations may sponsor project activities and infrastructure needs on a voluntary basis. The project is supported by The Linux Foundation and does not raise funds independently.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CHAOSS is a Linux Foundation project that produces standardized metrics, metrics models, and open source software for measuring open source community health. Its core deliverables include analytics software (Augur, GrimoireLab, 8knot) and SaaS services (Metrix, AI.chaoss.io, OSS Compass) used by open source contributors, communities, companies, and foundations to assess and improve project health.

Product overview

CHAOSS (Community Health Analytics in Open Source Software) is a Linux Foundation project that provides a comprehensive ecosystem of metrics, metrics models, and open source software for measuring open source community health. The portfolio consists of core analytics software tools (Augur for data retrieval and analysis, GrimoireLab for data visualization, and 8knot for quick visualization dashboards), a SaaS layer (Metrix, AI.chaoss.io, and OSS Compass which are independent platforms using CHAOSS metrics), organized Working Groups developing metrics across focus areas (DEI, OSPO, University, Science, Data Science, Funding Impact), educational programs (Practitioner Guides and the Education Project with self-paced courses), and media (CHAOSScast podcast). The DEI Badging Program recognizes inclusive practices in open source events and projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Augur

Quantifiable outcome

• Metrics available for measuring 200+ aspects of open source community health
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• The Linux FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2017CHAOSS is a Linux Foundation project established in September 2017. The Linux Foundation provides governance framework, infrastructure, legal support, and coordinates budget/funding for the project. CHAOSS trademarks are owned by The Linux Foundation.
• BitergiacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBitergia provides the community dashboard (chaoss.biterg.io) hosting for CHAOSS and is home to several CHAOSS maintainers and board members (Santiago Dueñas as CTO/GrimoireLab lead, Daniel Izquierdo as CEO). Bitergia embeds CHAOSS tools in commercial offerings and actively contributes to software development.
• TODO GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe OSPO Metrics working group is a joint effort between CHAOSS and the TODO Group, focused on advancing how organizations understand the value of open source projects and programs. Co-chairs include Dawn Foster and others from both organizations.
• OSPO++ CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University Working Group is a joint effort between CHAOSS and the OSPO++ community, creating recommendations for metrics related to university open source software.
• Open Source Community Africa (OSCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHAOSScon Africa 2025 is co-located with Open Source Community Africa 2025, enabling cross-community collaboration and shared audience engagement in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Accessibility NigeriaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHAOSS Africa partnered with Accessibility Nigeria for CHAOSScon Africa 2025 to provide Closed Captioning, Transportation for People with Disability, and Sign Language Interpreter services.
• Commons Hub BrusselsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for CHAOSScon EU 2026, co-located with FOSDEM and Open Source Village at Commons Hub Brussels.
• The Zone Tech ParkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner for CHAOSScon Africa 2023, 2024, and 2025 events at The Zone Tech Park in Lagos, Nigeria.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Software Heritage: Software Heritage archives and provides analytics on the full corpus of public source code, with overlap to CHAOSS's repository-level data collection (Augur/GrimoireLab analyze similar development-trace data). It is an adjacent emerging player in software-development analytics.
• InnerSource Commons: A community advancing inner-source practices inside enterprises, with adjacent metrics work on contribution health. It overlaps with CHAOSS in measuring collaboration and contribution patterns, though focused on intra-firm rather than open source contexts.

Broad incumbents

• GitLab: GitLab's Value Stream Analytics and contributor insights provide project and contributor health dashboards within its DevOps platform. It is comparable as a broader platform that bundles community/contributor measurement rather than a dedicated health-metrics standard.
• Open Source Initiative (OSI): OSI maintains the Open Source Definition and oversees open source licensing. While not a metrics body, it influences how open source health is evaluated and partners with adjacent community-health initiatives, making it a related incumbent in the broader OSS ecosystem.
• GitHub: GitHub provides built-in community analytics (Insights, Contributors, Community profile checks) for open source repositories and operates GitHub Community Metrics. It addresses overlapping use cases (project and contributor health) but as part of a much broader platform offering.
• The Linux Foundation: CHAOSS's parent organization and host foundation, providing governance, IP management, and budget oversight. The Linux Foundation's broader portfolio of standards and metrics efforts creates a related umbrella of community-health and project-health initiatives.
• CNCF TAG Contributor Strategy: A CNCF Technical Advisory Group (co-chaired by a CHAOSS board member) that develops contributor-strategy recommendations for cloud-native projects. It is an adjacent standards body operating in the same contributor-health space as CHAOSS.

Direct peers

• Bitergia: Bitergia commercializes the CHAOSS software stack (hosts metrix.chaoss.io and ai.chaoss.io, employs GrimoireLab's lead maintainer, and embeds CHAOSS metrics in its enterprise analytics product). It is the closest commercial analog and direct value-chain partner.
• OSS Compass: An independent SaaS platform that consumes CHAOSS metrics, metrics models, and software to assess open source project health. It is a downstream deployer of CHAOSS standards in a SaaS product.
• TODO Group: TODO Group is an open source community of OSPO practitioners that co-runs the OSPO Metrics working group with CHAOSS. Both organizations work on standardizing how enterprises measure and manage open source program health.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chaossproj
• GitHubgithub.com/chaoss
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CHAOSStube

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHAOSS Community