How Trending Works
Understand how StackShare determines which tools are trending and what it means for tool discovery.
The "Trending" badge highlights tools that are gaining significant momentum in the developer community. Here's how it works.
What is Trending?
Trending identifies tools experiencing notable growth in adoption and engagement. It helps developers:
- Discover emerging tools early
- See what the community is excited about
- Stay current with technology trends
How Trending is Calculated
Trending uses a Reddit/Hacker News-style algorithm that balances engagement with recency. The score combines multiple signals with time decay, so tools need sustained engagement to maintain trending status.
Engagement Signals
The algorithm weighs different types of community engagement:
- Votes - Direct user approval (highest weight)
- Stack additions - Developers adding the tool to their stacks
- Followers - Users subscribing to tool updates
- Stack decisions - Written explanations of why developers chose the tool
Time Decay
Newer activity counts more than older activity. The algorithm uses exponential decay, meaning a tool needs roughly 10x more engagement to maintain the same trending score over time. This ensures trending reflects current momentum, not just historical popularity.
Minimum Engagement
Tools need at least some community activity to appear in trending. A tool with no votes, stacks, followers, or decisions won't trend regardless of other factors.
Trending Categories
Tools can trend within specific contexts:
Overall Trending
Tools trending across all of StackShare, regardless of category.
Category Trending
Tools trending within their specific category (e.g., "Trending in Databases" or "Trending in JavaScript Frameworks").
Layer Trending
Tools trending within their layer (Application & Data, Utilities, DevOps, Business Tools, AI).
What Trending Doesn't Mean
Not an Endorsement
Trending reflects community activity, not StackShare's recommendation. Always evaluate tools based on your specific needs.
Not Permanent
Trending status changes frequently. A tool trending today might not be trending next week as community interest shifts.
Not Manipulable
Our algorithms are designed to detect and filter artificial activity. Genuine community adoption is the only way to trend.
For Tool Makers
How to Trend Organically
- Build something useful - Tools trend because developers genuinely find them valuable
- Share your stack - When you or your team share stacks that include your tool, it contributes to visibility
- Encourage users - Ask satisfied users to share their stacks (but never incentivize or manipulate)
- Write about decisions - Explain why you built your tool and how it fits into the ecosystem
What Doesn't Work
- Creating fake accounts or stacks
- Paying for stack additions
- Coordinated campaigns to artificially boost numbers
These activities are detected and can result in removal from trending or other consequences.
Viewing Trending Tools
Find trending tools in several places:
- Homepage - Featured trending tools
- Tools page - Filter by trending status
- Category pages - See what's trending in specific categories