# Trending GitHub projects (2026)

> The most active self-hosted projects on GitHub right now are PostHog, Checkmk and Wekan; PostHog leads with 35,167 commits in the last 12 months. Among MCP servers, Worldmonitor is gaining stars fastest, and among agent skills, Ponytail.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Question | What are the trending GitHub projects right now? |
| Picks | 18 |
| Top pick | PostHog (40,156 stars) |
| Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 |
| Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/trending-github-projects |

Three views of what is moving on GitHub: self-hosted apps with the most development activity, and the MCP servers and agent skills gaining stars fastest.

## Most active self-hosted apps

Ranked by commits in the last 12 months.

- [PostHog](https://appsgit.com/apps/posthog) (40,156 stars, MIT, Python, AI features): PostHog has 40,156 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 35,167 commits in the last year; it replaces Google Analytics and Metabase Cloud.
- [Checkmk](https://appsgit.com/apps/checkmk) (2,386 stars, GPL-2.0, Python, Docker): Checkmk has 2,386 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 21,799 commits in the last year; it replaces Datadog.
- [Wekan](https://appsgit.com/apps/wekan) (21,108 stars, MIT, JavaScript): Wekan has 21,108 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license and had 19,700 commits in the last year; it replaces Trello.
- [Agenta](https://appsgit.com/apps/agenta) (4,807 stars, MIT, TypeScript, Docker, AI features): Agenta has 4,807 GitHub stars, uses the MIT license, ships a Docker image and had 18,955 commits in the last year.
- [Sentry Self-Hosted](https://appsgit.com/apps/sentry-self-hosted) (45,479 stars, FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0, source-available, Python): Sentry Self-Hosted has 45,479 GitHub stars, is source-available under the FSL 1.1 (Apache 2.0 future licence) (not an open-source license) and had 17,926 commits in the last year; it replaces Sentry.
- [Home Assistant](https://appsgit.com/apps/home-assistant) (91,266 stars, Apache-2.0, Python, Docker): Home Assistant has 91,266 GitHub stars, uses the Apache-2.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 17,497 commits in the last year; it replaces IFTTT and Nest / SmartThings.

## Trending MCP servers

Ranked by average stars per day since the repository was created.

- [Worldmonitor](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/worldmonitor) (87,920 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript): ~324 stars/day since launch: Worldmonitor has 87,920 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, is written in TypeScript and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Codebase Memory](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/codebase-memory) (45,917 stars, MIT, C): ~205 stars/day since launch: Codebase Memory has 45,917 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, is written in C and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Dbx](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/dbx) (24,945 stars, Apache-2.0, Rust): ~155 stars/day since launch: Dbx has 24,945 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, is written in Rust and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Gemini CLI](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/gemini-cli) (107,240 stars, Apache-2.0, TypeScript): ~200 stars/day since launch: Gemini CLI has 107,240 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, is written in TypeScript and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Chrome DevTools MCP](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/chrome-devtools-mcp) (53,049 stars, Apache-2.0, TypeScript): ~136 stars/day since launch: Chrome DevTools MCP has 53,049 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, is written in TypeScript and was last updated in October 2026.
- [REA](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/rea) (10,215 stars, MIT, TypeScript): ~58 stars/day since launch: REA has 10,215 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, is written in TypeScript and was last updated in October 2026.

## Trending agent skills

Ranked by average stars per day since the repository was created.

- [Ponytail](https://appsgit.com/skills/dietrichgebert-ponytail) (156,966 stars, MIT, JavaScript): ~1,340 stars/day since launch: Ponytail has 156,966 GitHub stars, has 72,989 installs on skills.sh, runs without an API key, works with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, is written in JavaScript and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Improve Codebase Architecture](https://appsgit.com/skills/mattpocock-improve-codebase-architecture) (278,361 stars, MIT, Shell): ~1,133 stars/day since launch: Improve Codebase Architecture has 278,361 GitHub stars, has 1,057,293 installs on skills.sh, runs without an API key, works with Claude Code and Codex, is written in Shell and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Golang Testing](https://appsgit.com/skills/affaan-m-golang-testing) (274,402 stars, MIT, JavaScript): ~1,047 stars/day since launch: Golang Testing has 274,402 GitHub stars, has 3 installs on skills.sh, runs without an API key, works with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, is written in JavaScript and was last updated in October 2026.
- [Clinical Case Report](https://appsgit.com/skills/nexu-io-clinical-case-report) (99,748 stars, Apache-2.0, TypeScript): ~616 stars/day since launch: Clinical Case Report has 99,748 GitHub stars, runs without an API key, works with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, is written in TypeScript and was last updated in September 2026.
- [Karpathy Guidelines](https://appsgit.com/skills/multica-ai-karpathy-guidelines) (217,301 stars, MIT): ~859 stars/day since launch: Karpathy Guidelines has 217,301 GitHub stars, has 3 installs on skills.sh, runs without an API key, works with Claude Code and Cursor and was last updated in April 2026.
- [Safe Refactor](https://appsgit.com/skills/juliusbrussee-safe-refactor) (110,252 stars, Apache-2.0, Go): ~593 stars/day since launch: Safe Refactor has 110,252 GitHub stars, has 86,376 installs on skills.sh, runs without an API key, works with Claude Code, Codex and Cursor, is written in Go and was last updated in October 2026.

## How this list was made

- Self-hosted apps: commits in the last 12 months from the GitHub API (development activity, not star growth, which the apps snapshot does not track).
- MCP servers and agent skills: average stars per day since the repository was created (a launch-growth proxy until a week of daily star history exists), at most one entry per repository.
- Archived projects and apps with no commit in the last two years are left out.

## FAQ

### How is trending measured?

For self-hosted apps, by commits in the last 12 months. For MCP servers and agent skills, by average stars per day since the repository was created. GitHub's own trending page uses stars gained over a day, week or month, so the two lists can differ.

### Is PostHog free?

Yes. PostHog is open-source software released under the MIT license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan.

### How often is this list updated?

The appsgit catalog is refreshed from the GitHub API on a schedule, and this page is rebuilt from each new snapshot.

## Related questions

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## See also

- [Trending MCP servers](https://appsgit.com/mcp-servers/trending)
- [Trending agent skills](https://appsgit.com/skills/trending)
- [Open-source alternatives to Google Analytics](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/google-analytics)
- [Open-source alternatives to Metabase Cloud](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/metabase-cloud)
- [Open-source alternatives to Datadog](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/datadog)
- [Open-source alternatives to Trello](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/trello)
- [Open-source alternatives to Sentry](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/sentry)
- [Open-source alternatives to IFTTT](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/ifttt)
- [Home Assistant vs openHAB](https://appsgit.com/compare/home-assistant-vs-openhab)
- [How to self-host PostHog with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/posthog)
- [How to self-host Home Assistant with Docker Compose](https://appsgit.com/guides/home-assistant)

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Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/trending-github-projects
Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly.
Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.