daniel:// stenberg://Mar 9

#curl was download 10,467 times last year according to the Linux Foundation

😂

https://insights.linuxfoundation.org/project/curl/repository/curl-curl/popularity?timeRange=past365days&start=2025-03-09&end=2026-03-09&widget=package-downloads

Curl curl-curl Repository Package downloads | LFX Insights

Explore Curl curl-curl popularity with data on stars, forks, watchers, and adoption across the open source ecosystem.

Show threaddaniel:// stenberg://

it claims to get the data from ecosyste.ms for this, but ecosyste.ms has absolutely no idea how often curl is downloaded so I'm really curious what exactly this number is.

Frankly, I don't know what a curl download means. a curl package manager install? a docker pull? a tarball download? git clone? installing an OS that bundles curl? All of those?

Mar 9 at 3:52pmWeb
Show threadPeter BindelsMar 9
@bagder I think it's counting downloads of tarballs or zipfiles from the github release page? Something like that.
Show thread"Musty Bits" McGeeMar 9

@bagder Hi Daniel,

A curl download is when you use `-o/-O` to download a file.

Hope this helps

Show threadsnaumsMar 9
@bagder click on learn more. And choosing the package source "NuGet" shows the same graph, so this is were your downloads are. Absolutely no docker pulls though.
Show thread✨メッツォ✨  Mar 9
@bagder According to their Popularity Metrics Explained page, the number of package downloads is “The total number of downloads for a project’s packages across supported package registries (e.g., PyPI, npm, Maven, Conda, Docker Hub).”
Popularity Metrics Explained | LFX Insights Documentation

Insights evaluates the health and trustworthiness of the world's most critical open source software.

Show threaddaniel:// stenberg://Mar 9
@mezzodrinker they say so, but that does not match the number. All such registries would say 0 downloads except docker hub, which should say something like 500,000 pulls/day.
Show threadwatteMar 9
@mezzodrinker @bagder pip install curl
Show threadBjörn FahllerMar 9

@bagder For comparison, my mocking library, for supporting unit testing, has around 10000 git clones/week, and its use is absolutely puny in comparison to curl. A git-clone counts as a download if the entire thing is just a set of header files, doesn't it?

Just shows how utterly disconnected from reality that number is.

Show threadAndrew NesbittMar 9
@bagder also they refused to work with or support ecosyste.ms, I have had no input on the way they use it, download counts for projects like curl are never going to be useful