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How RepoPulse Works

A transparent, serverless pipeline that transforms raw GitHub data into meaningful intelligence. Every score, insight, and recommendation is calculated with documented logic.

Data Flow Architecture

RepoPulse processes GitHub data through a clean, layered architecture designed for performance, transparency, and maintainability.

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1. API Request

User requests repository analysis via web interface or API endpoint

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2. GitHub Data Fetch

Fetch repository metadata, commits, issues, PRs, and contributors from GitHub REST API

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3. Cache Check

Check Redis cache for existing data to avoid unnecessary API calls

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4. Metrics Calculation

Process raw GitHub data into quantitative metrics and derived measurements

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5. Insights Generation

Apply rule-based intelligence engine to identify patterns and generate recommendations

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6. Health Scoring

Calculate transparent health score using weighted component scores

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7. Response Generation

Return JSON data, SVG cards, or rendered web pages

GitHub API Usage

RepoPulse uses GitHub's official REST API to gather data while respecting rate limits and providing optional authentication for enhanced access.

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API Version

GitHub REST API v3 with JSON responses

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Rate Limits

5,000 requests/hour with authentication, 60/hour without

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Authentication

Optional GitHub token for higher rate limits and private repo access

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Endpoints Used

Repository info, commits, issues, PRs, contributors, user profiles

Caching Strategy

Intelligent caching reduces API calls, improves performance, and ensures consistent results for repeated requests while staying fresh enough for meaningful analysis.

Technology

Upstash Redis for serverless, global caching

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TTL Strategy

Repository data cached for 1 hour, user data for 6 hours

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Cache Keys

Namespaced by owner/repo and analysis window

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Fallback

Graceful degradation to fresh data if cache unavailable

Insights Engine

Rule-based intelligence identifies patterns in repository data and generates actionable insights with confidence scores to help maintainers understand their project's health.

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Rule-Based

Each insight triggered by specific metric thresholds

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Confidence Scores

0-1 confidence rating for each insight based on data quality

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Categories

Activity, Responsiveness, Growth, Maintenance, Diversity

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Levels

Error (critical), Warning (concerning), Info (positive/interesting)

Example Insight Rules

Low Activity: If commits in last 90 days < 9 (0.1/day), confidence 0.9

Slow Response: If average issue response time > 7 days, confidence 0.85

High Diversity: If contributor diversity > 0.5 with >10 contributors, confidence 0.85

Health Score Calculation

Health scores are calculated using weighted components, with transparent formulas and explanations for every point awarded or deducted.

Activity (25%)

Weight: 25%)

Calculation: Based on commit frequency and recency of last commit

Example: Daily commits = +10, no commits in 30 days = -40

Responsiveness (25%)

Weight: 25%)

Calculation: Issue response time and PR merge velocity

Example: Response within 24h = +0, 7+ days = -40

Growth (20%)

Weight: 20%)

Calculation: Stars, forks, and community adoption metrics

Example: 1000+ stars = +40, <10 stars on old repo = -30

Maintenance (20%)

Weight: 20%)

Calculation: Issue resolution rate and backlog management

Example: 70%+ resolution rate = +0, <50% = -50

Diversity (10%)

Weight: 10%)

Calculation: Contributor diversity and community breadth

Example: High diversity ratio = +30, single contributor = +0

Overall Score Formula

overall = (activity × 0.25) + (responsiveness × 0.25) + (growth × 0.2) + (maintenance × 0.2) + (diversity × 0.1)

Technical Implementation

Frontend

  • • Next.js 14 App Router
  • • React Server Components
  • • Tailwind CSS styling
  • • Static generation where possible

Backend

  • • Vercel Edge Functions
  • • TypeScript throughout
  • • Upstash Redis caching
  • • No database required

Explore the Intelligence

See RepoPulse in action with real repository analysis. Every score and insight is calculated using the transparent logic explained above.

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