The internet is full of software and source code. Some of that software is actively developed, some is mature but receives security updates and other infrequent changes and a lot of it is abandonware or one-off demo.
As software developers you have both a responsibility and a duty to your fellow developers to clearly state if something is supported or not. It's always annoying to find that one of your dependencies is no longer maintained.
Project Status Shields
Wouldn't it be great if it was easy to clearly and unambiguously state that a project is no longer supported or that conversely it is actively supported? Enter project status shields. We supply you with an easy-to-use shield that documents how the author or principal maintainer sees a given repository.
Shaping
The project is actively evolving and may be the next big thing but at this moment only early adopters are welcome. Maintainers are working on new features but don't plan to make new releases that can be used as a stable base just yet.
Active in {Year}
The project is actively developed and should offers a solid base for other software. It is past its early development stages and can be used by third parties. Maintainers are working periodic new releases.
The {year} indicates when the project last updated its status.
Maintained in {Year}
The project is not actively developed but is maintained and may make occasional releases with new features, bug fixes and security fixes. New projects may want to re-consider using it as a dependency but immediate migration is not necessary.
The {year} indicates when the project last updated its status.
On life support in {Year}
The project is not actively developed and the maintainers may only apply security fixes, if any. If you use it as a dependency you should strongly consider migrating to another project.
The {year} indicates when the project last updated its status.
Abandoned
The project may have been great once or it may have been just a demo. In either case it is not actively maintained anymore. If you have it as a dependency then immediately migrate to another project.