In a notable development in the crypto ecosystem, Cardano (ADA) has overtaken Ethereum (ETH) in monthly development activity, signaling growing momentum in its ecosystem. According to blockchain analytics firm Santiment, which tracks on-chain and social data for over 3,800 cryptocurrencies, Cardano now ranks 5th in development activity, surpassing Ethereum in the past 30 days. Additional insights from the developer analytics platform Cryptometheus highlight the scale of this lead. Over the past month, Cardano averaged 449 daily GitHub commits, more than double Ethereum’s 183 commits per day, representing a significant 145% advantage. Notably, this marks the second time in recent months that Cardano has pulled ahead of Ethereum regarding developer engagement. In January, similar trends saw ADA topping GitHub commit charts, igniting fresh debates about the so-called “ghost chain” narrative that has long haunted Cardano. According to Cryptometheus’s report, over the past 12 months, Cardano developers submitted 21,440 commits across 550 core repositories, compared to Ethereum’s 20,998. The surge in developer activity extends beyond core projects, as Cardano’s ecosystem has also seen engagement across 3,988 repositories, with 37 independent projects contributing to the platform’s growing presence. Notably, part of Cardano’s edge stems from its unique Extended UTXO model (EUTXO), which many developers now prefer over Ethereum’s account-based system. The EUTXO design allows for parallel transaction processing, improved smart contract isolation, reduced congestion, and enhanced DApp security. These advantages make Cardano’s network easier to audit, scale, and defend against network overload without relying heavily on Layer 2 infrastructure. Another highlight in Cardano’s expanding ecosystem is the upcoming Bitcoin OS bridge , a project that aims to connect Cardano with Bitcoin’s decentralized operating system layer. This integration could unlock novel interoperability features and introduce new utility flows between the two ecosystems. Additionally, Cardano is preparing for a strategic integration with XRP via the Lace Wallet, aiming to improve cross-chain utility and price performance. These moves suggest a broader strategy to shed the “ghost chain” label and assert itself as a serious contender in real-world blockchain adoption. That said, the spike in development has fueled optimism, with many anticipating that increased on-chain utility could drive future price growth. “Cardano’s vision was to build a blockchain that stands the test of time, is built on formal proofs, has high assurance, and high security,” noted IOG Director of Research Partnerships Fergie Miller. “ Cardano has 100% uptime, which gives a sense of trust and reliability.” Meanwhile, Ethereum’s slight dip in developer rankings has sparked criticism from industry figures, including Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson. Last week, he predicted that Ethereum could face existential risks by 2040, pointing to technological stagnation, fragmented Layer 2 scaling solutions, and declining developer enthusiasm.
