Introducing Gitallica: Data-Driven Engineering Metrics That Actually Matter

Hey there, it's Ben again. You look well rested, like you've really settled into a skincare routine right at the end of summer. Nice work.

So I've been working on this thing called Gitallica for a while now. It's a CLI tool that digs through your Git history and spits out some actually useful metrics about your codebase. No fancy dashboards, no AI buzzwords, just real data about how your code evolves over time.

Lars working on Gitallica

Why Another Metrics Tool?

Look, I've worked on way too many projects over the years. And every single team asks the same questions: Is our code actually getting better? Are we building stuff that won't break in six months? Does anyone besides me know how this thing works?

Most metrics tools are either useless fluff or require you to set up seventeen different integrations. I wanted something that just works with the Git repo you already have. No external services, no data leaving your machine, no buzzword bingo.

What Makes Gitallica Different

Gitallica runs 14 different metrics based on actual research—DORA stuff, Microsoft studies, Clean Code principles. The key difference? It analyzes your real Git history. No fake data, no external APIs, everything stays local.

You get stuff like:

  • Code churn patterns (which files keep changing)
  • Team knowledge distribution (who knows what)
  • Test coverage ratios
  • DORA performance classification
  • Commit patterns and lead times

The Research Foundation

I didn't just make up random numbers. Every threshold in Gitallica comes from actual research:

  • DORA State of DevOps research
  • Microsoft studies on code survival
  • Clean Code principles
  • Extreme Programming methodologies
  • Refactoring insights from Martin Fowler

When Gitallica says your change lead time is "Elite" or flags a high-churn file, it's using the same thresholds that industry research validated.

Real-World Impact

The best part? You can actually use these insights. When Gitallica shows 89% of your commits hit elite performance (<1 day lead time), you know you're doing something right. When it flags files with high churn, you know where to focus refactoring.

More importantly, it helps teams have better conversations. Instead of arguing about whether a commit is "too big," you can point to research-backed thresholds. Instead of guessing about team knowledge, you can see exactly where your bus factor risks are.

Built for Real Teams

Too many tools look great in demos but break when you try to use them. Gitallica works with how teams actually operate:

  • No external dependencies—just your Git repo
  • Flexible time windows—analyze last week, month, or year
  • Path filtering—focus on specific directories
  • CLI-first design—integrates with existing workflows

Getting Started

Until I get this onto Homebrew, you'll need to build from source:

git clone https://github.com/bgricker/gitallica.git
cd gitallica
go build -o gitallica .

Then try some basic analysis:

# See your code churn patterns
gitallica churn --last 30d

# Check your DORA performance
gitallica change-lead-time --limit 10

# Analyze team knowledge distribution
gitallica bus-factor --path src/

What's Next

This is just the beginning. I'm working on getting Gitallica onto Homebrew, and I have plans for more metrics. But I want to hear from teams about what insights they're finding most valuable.

The Bigger Picture

When teams have data about their engineering practices, they make better decisions. When they can see how their work patterns affect code quality and delivery, they naturally move toward sustainable practices.

Try It Out

I'd love for you to try Gitallica on your own repos and see what insights you discover. The tool is open source, and I'm always interested in hearing about real-world use cases and challenges teams face.

You can find the project at github.com/bgricker/gitallica, and I've put together comprehensive documentation including a user guide, command reference, and detailed research methodology.

Final Thoughts

Building Gitallica has helped me find actionable insights from data every developer already has access to. It's also helped me better understand what to look for in those insights.

I hope Gitallica helps your team discover insights about your codebase that lead to better engineering practices and more sustainable development workflows.

Hugs and kisses,

Ben

P.S. If you find Gitallica useful, I'd love to hear about it. And if you run into any issues or have ideas for improvements, the project is open source and contributions are always welcome.