Getting started

1. Choose a project

Open the main page and choose the source that suits you:

• Try a public project: paste a GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket link into the project box. You can start without an account. Links to a file or folder inside the project work too.
• Connect your account: sign in with GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket, then choose from the projects you can access. For GitHub, install the DeepGraph GitHub App and allow access to the projects you want to explore.
• Use a project on your computer: sign in, then choose a folder containing a Git project. The browser uploads its saved history from the hidden .git folder. It does not upload the separate files you are currently editing, though saved versions of files are part of that history.

New accounts start with a 14-day Core trial. No payment details are required, and the trial does not automatically become a paid subscription. Scale is a paid plan. See plans and billing before choosing a subscription.

For your first report, choose one project with a history you recognize. It is easier to understand the report when you can connect its activity to work you remember.

2. Prepare your report

Check the selected projects before you start. Remove any you do not want to include, or add several to explore them together in one folder.

Use the analyze button to start. Progress appears around the project box and beside each project. Larger histories take longer to process; your report opens when it is ready.

Your plan's project and history limits apply across your account, not separately to each folder. Compare Core and Scale if you need room for more projects.

3. Explore the contributors

Start with the contributor list. It shows the people who saved changes, their commit totals, and the lines they added or removed. A commit is a saved set of changes.

• Find a person: search for a contributor and open their profile.
• Choose a view: switch between the list and grid, and sort by the figures you want to explore.
• Follow their work: open a profile to see activity over time and contributions across the included projects.

Try opening someone whose work you know. Look for a period or project you recognize, then explore the changes behind it.

4. Understand the activity

Choose a time range to see when changes happened. Use the activity chart to spot busy periods, quieter stretches, and changes in working patterns.

Hover over a chart for totals, or click a day to open its details. Select a person or profile to see their commits for that day, then open a commit to see which files changed and what was added or removed. A large number might come from a feature, a cleanup, or an update to generated files; the changes help explain it.

These figures describe recorded activity. They do not measure the quality, difficulty, or value of someone's work. Read them alongside the changes and what you know about the project.

5. Refine the report

The same person may appear under different names or email addresses. Link their profiles when you know they belong together, so their contributions can be read as one history.

You can also exclude bots or other contributors from the report when they distract from the people you want to understand. This changes the report, not the original project history.

Read more about contributor profiles and activity trends.

Return to your projects

Sign in to keep your reports and return to them from the sidebar. Group related projects into folders so you can explore them together or focus on one project at a time.

Connected projects can refresh automatically when changes reach their main branch and your connection allows update notifications. Local projects update when you analyze them again. When you analyze a project again, DeepGraph reuses results for projects that have not changed. You do not need to start a new folder just to revisit the same work.

If something is missing

• A connected project is not listed: check that the account you connected can access it. For GitHub, also check which projects the DeepGraph GitHub App is allowed to read.
• A local project is not found: make sure the selected folder contains its hidden .git folder and that your browser can read it.
• A person appears more than once: check their names and email addresses before linking their profiles.

Visit the FAQ for common questions, or contact support and tell us what you were trying to do. Follow What's new for the latest improvements.