Hacking The GitHub Stats

updated July 26, 2024

The GitHub Stats is an external service that displays your ranking based on commits, PRs, issues, etc. You simply need the URL, change the details to refer to your account, include it in your GitHub profile, and you're done.

How It Works

GitHub Stats is an external web app that uses GitHub data (through its API) to generate your rank.
No installation is required; just get the URL of the app, change the details to refer to your account, and you're done.
```
https://github-readme-stats.vercel.app/api?username=[yourusername]
```

Displaying in Your Profile

Create a repository with the same name as your username (e.g., jdevfullstack/jdevfullstack). This special repository will appear in your profile.
Initialize it with a README.md file, or create one if it doesn't exist.

Add a description about yourself and include the following code, replacing [yourusername] with your GitHub username :

<p align="left"> <img src="https://github-readme-stats.vercel.app/api?username=[yourusername]&theme=tokyonight&show_icons=true&hide_border=true&count_private=true&include_all_commits=true" /> </p>

The stats are now embedded in your GitHub Profile! You can still change the settings. Refer to the details here.

App Stat Computation Breakdown

This is the latest computation and the factors involved:

Commits: 16.67%
Pull Requests (PRs): 25%
Issues: 8.33%
Reviews: 8.33%
Stars: 33.33%
Followers: 8.33%

Refer to the code for detailed information: calculateRank.js

Rationale

This is not about tricking the system or creating fake contributions. Remember, GitHub Stats can sometimes be misleading, even for highly skilled developers.

If you only use GitHub for coding, your profile might not fully reflect your abilities. GitHub encourages a variety of activities beyond just coding, such as participating in discussions, reviewing code, and contributing to documentation.

Think of GitHub as more than just a coding platform — it's an interactive space similar to any other social media. Engaging in diverse activities on GitHub can provide a more accurate representation of your contributions and skills.

If you believe you deserve a higher rank, actively participate in the community and showcase your full range of abilities. This is why we have this unofficial ranking.

Commits

If you did create your own instance of the app like this, make sure you turn on private commits in the API include_all_commits=true. For sure, if your private commits are massive, like you are privately coding, professionally or personally, that will be counted.

Another option is to create a tutorial website, tech or non-tech. Markdown, originally designed for blogging, simplifies creating content. It is the default markup language for GitHub, especially for README files.

If you are a writer, consider writing your stories on GitHub. Many people use GitHub for various purposes, such as legal articles, to-do lists, music compositions, and itineraries.

Additionally, you can generate commits by:

contributing to documentation for open-source projects
participating in discussions and issue tracking
creating and maintaining wikis
managing project boards and tasks
uploading design assets or artwork
sharing research notes or academic papers

For more information on creating websites with GitHub, check out this tutorial about GitHub Pages.

Pull Requests

Pull requests are a great way to contribute to projects and generate activity on your GitHub profile. They are not limited to coding; you can create pull requests for various types of contributions :

Documentation: Improve or add documentation for projects. This can include README files, wikis, or tutorials.
Design: Contribute design assets, such as logos, icons, or UI/UX improvements.
Translations: Help translate project documentation into different languages.
Bug Reports: Identify and document bugs, and propose fixes or improvements.
Community Management: Suggest improvements for community guidelines, code of conduct, or contribution guidelines.
Educational Content: Add educational resources, such as example projects, code snippets, or learning materials.

By contributing in these ways, you can create meaningful pull requests that benefit the community and enhance your GitHub profile.

Your Stars

Take note, this is not the stars on GitHub when you leave a star to an external repo. This is the star that you received from your original repos.

So keep on creating quality content on GitHub, code or non-code !

Followers

You don't need to be famous to have followers. All it takes is the initiative to follow others. It's similar to building a LinkedIn network.

Be proactive: follow others who are likely to follow you back, and reciprocate by following those who follow you. The chances are high if you follow those who are also looking to build their network. For example, I am not famous, but I have more than 3k followers.

In the past, when I started doing this, I was surprised by the increase in web traffic to my site, as shown by Google Analytics.

Remember, even if some don't follow back, keep following more people. This act is like free advertisement: others will become aware of your content. Unlike paid promotions, following others costs nothing but has a similar effect.

However, don't overdo it on GitHub. Following too many people in a short period can clutter your followers' dashboards, potentially annoying them. Be mindful and considerate in your approach.

jdevfullstack/hacking-the-github-stats