Ethereum and BNB Chain remained the leading blockchain ecosystems for developer activity over the past month, even as most major networks posted steep declines in developer events and contributor participation, according to the latest data compiled by Santiment.

Developer activity is commonly viewed as an important measure of a blockchain network’s longer-term health because it reflects continued technical work, ecosystem expansion, and community involvement. It is not a standalone measure of network adoption, user demand, or market performance, but it can help show where core protocol and application-level work remains concentrated. While Santiment’s latest figures showed weaker development metrics across much of the sector, Ethereum, BNB Chain, and Polygon continued to rank as the most active blockchain ecosystems by developer-related events.

Ethereum held the top position with 263,300 developer activity events over the previous 30 days, the highest total among the top 10 blockchains. The figure came despite a 40.29% decline from the prior reporting period. The network also recorded approximately 1,100 contributors, down 13.23% over the same timeframe.

BNB Chain ranked second with 121,800 developer activity events during the month. Santiment’s data showed that the total represented a 40.72% decline from the earlier period. The blockchain also recorded 603 contributors, reflecting a 17.62% decrease in developer participation.

Polygon placed third after registering 100,400 developer activity events over the past 30 days. Activity on the network fell 40.85%, while its contributor count declined 16.14% to 452.

Arbitrum followed in fourth place with 79,000 developer activity events. The network saw one of the sharper declines among the leading blockchains, with activity dropping 45.22%. Its contributor base also weakened, falling 18.02% to 373 developers.

Optimism ranked just behind Arbitrum, recording 78,400 developer activity events during the month. Santiment’s figures indicated that development activity on the network declined 45.3%, while contributor participation decreased 18.01% to 355 developers.

Solana stood out among the leading networks by reporting growth in contributors even as its developer activity slowed. Developer activity events on Solana fell 32.14% to 77,400, but the number of contributors rose 1.62% to 377 developers. The increase indicated that, despite fewer overall development events, contributor participation on the network remained comparatively resilient.

Avalanche also stayed among the leading blockchain ecosystems by developer activity. The network recorded 73,400 developer events over the 30-day period, a 43.93% decline. Contributor numbers also moved lower, falling 15.34% to 320 developers.

Harmony ranked next with 62,900 developer activity events. According to Santiment, development activity on the blockchain decreased 39.45%, while the number of contributors declined 10.87% to 287 developers over the same period.

Cardano completed the top 10 list with 62,600 developer activity events. The data showed that activity on the network fell 34.58%, while contributor participation declined 11.41% to 295 developers.

Across the leading blockchain networks, nearly all recorded lower developer activity and reduced contributor counts over the past month. Ethereum and BNB Chain nevertheless maintained the top two positions, while Solana was the only major blockchain in the group to post a modest increase in contributor participation despite a drop in development events. Future updates to the same metrics will show whether the latest declines were temporary or part of a longer slowdown in visible development work. The figures pointed to a broad slowdown in development metrics across the industry, even as the largest blockchain ecosystems continued to account for the highest levels of ongoing project development.