DeFi Protocols Annual Stars (Aave / Uniswap / OpenZeppelin) (GitHub)
Annual new GitHub stars per DeFi protocol, aggregated across all available versions in the open-source repos (Aave, Uniswap, OpenZeppelin contracts). Captures protocol-wide builder attention without version-fragmentation bias.
What is it?
DeFi-relevant repos compete for builder attention as much as protocols compete for user TVL. This chart compares annual new GitHub stars on four representative repos : Aave V3 (lending core), Uniswap V3 (DEX concentrated liquidity), Uniswap V4 (DEX hooks architecture), OpenZeppelin contracts (security infrastructure libs used by most DeFi protocols). Reading per-year deltas removes the exponential bias of cumulative counts and surfaces which DeFi narrative chapter captured builder attention in a given year.
How to read
Multi-line, four colors. X-axis = year. Y-axis = new stars that year. Each repo's peak year reveals its dominant narrative chapter — lending wave (Aave), AMM concentrated-liquidity wave (Uniswap V3), AMM hooks wave (Uniswap V4), security infra wave (OpenZeppelin). Direct per-year comparison rather than cumulative composition.
Key zones
Each repo's peak year typically delivers a few thousand new stars. Peaks cluster around major release cycles (Aave V3 launch, Uniswap V3 launch, V4 hooks reveal). OpenZeppelin contracts shows a steadier baseline as a security infra library used by most protocols.
What to observe
Uniswap V4 tall first-year bar = AMM hooks narrative active. Aave / OpenZeppelin maintaining steady mid-height bars across years = lending and security infra matured (not declining, plateauing). A Uniswap V4 release year producing a visible new-stars spike confirms upgraded-AMM thesis.
Historical context
Aave V3 repo created October 2021 (successor to Aave V2 + ETHLend lineage). Uniswap V3 May 2021 → V4 reveal 2023-2024. OpenZeppelin contracts repo created August 2016 (the canonical secure smart contract template library).
Expert notes
Trinity's 4-repo basket is editorial — Aave + Uniswap V3 + V4 capture the lending + DEX dual pillars, OpenZeppelin captures the security infra layer underpinning DeFi at large. Future iterations may add Lido (liquid staking) and EigenLayer (restaking) when those repos are backfilled.
Common mistakes to avoid
Higher stars = more profitable protocol ❌. Stars measure builder attention. TVL share measures capital deployed. Token price is a third dimension. All 3 must align for thesis confirmation.
Programmatic access
REST API
curl -sS \
'https://api.trinityinsights.io/api/v1/narrative-intelligence/narrative-gh-defi-protocols-stars/history?days=90' \
-H 'X-API-Key: $TRINITY_API_KEY'MCP server
{
"tool": "get_chart_value",
"metric_id": "narrative-gh-defi-protocols-stars",
"timeframe": "1y"
}Required tier: pro. See the pricing grid for the tier list and the MCP documentation for multi-client configuration.
Related metrics
Institutional disclaimer
Trinity Insights is an educational and analytical tool. The metric above does not constitute investment advice. Trinity Insights is not a Crypto-Asset Service Provider (CASP) registered under MiCA Regulation (EU) 2023/1114. See the full disclaimer.