Sociotechnical Dynamics in Open Source Smart Contract Repositories: An Exploratory Data Analysis of Curated High Market Value Projects

Saori Costa, Matheus Paixao, Igor Steinmacher, Pamella Soares, Allysson Allex Araújo, Jerffeson Souza

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Blockchain and Smart Contracts (SCs) have emerged as a promising avenue for organizations looking to innovate. Similar to other fields of software engineering, collaborative platforms, such as GitHub, are gaining attention in SCs development. Moreover, public blockchain platforms, such as Ethereum, commonly serve as a medium to deploy SCs. This ecosystem serves as the basis on which the sociotechnical phenomenon of SC development emerges. Despite the growth of research regarding SCs, there is a gap in understanding the sociotechnical factors involved in their development, specially the ones with high market value. To address this issue, we leveraged Sociotechnical Theory and Data Analysis to investigate the sociotechnical dynamics in open source repositories of SCs deployed on Ethereum. To ensure suitability for our analysis, we curated a list of 16 high market value SCs deployed on Ethereum. Our research yielded four primary analyses. First, we unveiled how collaboration aspects are impacted by the deployment of SCs. Second, we explored the characteristics of contributors participating in these projects. Third, we looked into commit messages to categorize commonly performed software changes. Fourth, we investigated the relationship between market metrics and SC evolution. These analyses help to deepen the understanding of sociotechnical dynamics within SC repositories, assisting organizations in designing better strategies to support their development efforts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationPROMISE 2024 - Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Predictive Models and Data Analytics in Software Engineering, Co-located with
Subtitle of host publicationESEC/FSE 2024
EditorsWeiyi Shang, Maxime Lamothe, Zhiyuan Wan
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages22-31
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9798400706752
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 10 2024
Event20th International Conference on Predictive Models and Data Analytics in Software Engineering, PROMISE 2024, co-located with the International Conference on the Foundations of Software Engineering, FSE 2024 - Porto de Galinhas, Brazil
Duration: Jul 16 2024 → …

Publication series

NamePROMISE 2024 - Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Predictive Models and Data Analytics in Software Engineering, Co-located with: ESEC/FSE 2024

Conference

Conference20th International Conference on Predictive Models and Data Analytics in Software Engineering, PROMISE 2024, co-located with the International Conference on the Foundations of Software Engineering, FSE 2024
Country/TerritoryBrazil
CityPorto de Galinhas
Period7/16/24 → …

Keywords

  • Exploratory Data Analysis
  • Smart Contracts
  • Sociotechnical Theory
  • Software Evolution

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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