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Start with the exact project and version
Confirm that the repository is the upstream project you intend to use, not a similarly named fork. Record the version and package coordinates you are considering: evidence about a project overall does not necessarily describe every release or package.
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Then verify that the license permits your intended use and that the documented platform, language, interfaces and supported features match your requirements. A project can be actively maintained and still be the wrong dependency.
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Check whether the project is still intended to be supported
Look for an archived or read-only repository, a maintainer announcement that support has ended, a successor project, or a documented support policy. An archive is a strong end-of-life signal, but it does not by itself mean the software is unusable; the question is whether its status fits your risk and support needs.
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OpenSSF Scorecard assigns archived repositories its lowest result on the Maintained check. That is an assessment heuristic, not a universal verdict on whether software remains fit for use. OpenSSF Scorecard’s Maintained check documentation advises: “A lack of active maintenance should signal that potential users should investigate further to judge the situation.”
Read releases and maintenance in context
Compare the project with its own cadence
Check the latest release, release notes, patch history and supported versions. Compare the gap since the last release with the project’s own historical rhythm and the pace of the ecosystem—not with a generic minimum number of commits. For dependencies that you already run, find out whether security fixes reach the release lines you use. The OpenSSF Best Practices Criteria calls out timely bug and security fixes, including support for older or long-term-support releases.
Inspect what changed and how maintainers respond
Recent commits are useful context, but their number alone says little about whether users’ needs are being handled. Look at what changed and whether maintainers respond to issues, pull requests and vulnerability reports. Consider whether the project depends on a small number of maintainers and whether there is evidence of continuity.
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Scorecard’s Maintained check considers project age, recent commits, archive status and activity by collaborators, members or owners on issues. It applies this check only to GitHub projects more than 90 days old; a younger project therefore needs manual inspection rather than an inference from a missing result. The check’s documentation also notes that a small utility may not normally need frequent maintenance.
Evaluate security practices separately from activity
A busy repository is not necessarily well protected, and a quiet one is not automatically unsafe. Look for a SECURITY.md file, a clear route for reporting vulnerabilities privately, guidance for response, peer review, protected branches, dependency-update tooling and release integrity where applicable. Also check whether security fixes are available for the release line you intend to use.
OpenSSF Scorecard checks several of these areas, alongside maintenance, packaging and other supply-chain indicators. Treat each result as a prompt to inspect a specific practice, not as proof. Its README recommends structured results when consumers care about particular properties instead of relying only on an aggregate score.
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Use project security information as discoverable evidence
If the repository provides security-insights.yml, read it alongside the security policy. OpenSSF describes Security Insights as machine-readable information that complements a plain-text SECURITY.md and a software bill of materials (SBOM). Its specification says to look in the repository root or conventional source-forge directories.
The OpenSSF OSPS Baseline guidance recommends Security Insights for security data that platform APIs do not easily audit. The file can help you find project claims and contacts; its presence does not independently verify the implementation.
Review the package and dependency changes entering your build
Inspect the exact package and version your build will resolve, including transitive dependencies. A healthy-looking upstream repository does not answer whether the package you consume is current, correctly identified or suitable for your ecosystem.
For GitHub repositories, GitHub dependency review can show dependency changes, release dates, licenses, dependents and age. Repository owners can configure a failed check to block a pull request. Availability depends on repository and product configuration, and these GitHub features should not be assumed to apply to other forges.
Compare candidates on the same questions
If several dependencies could meet the need, compare them against your actual requirements rather than choosing the most popular or visibly active one. The OpenSSF evaluation guide recommends selecting candidates for real needs and evaluating both security and sustainability.
| Area | What to examine |
|---|---|
| Fit | Required behavior, platform and language support, compatibility, and maintenance of the features you need. |
| Maintenance and responsiveness | Release history, user-relevant changes, issue handling and maintainer continuity, interpreted against the project’s normal cadence. |
| Security response | Private reporting route, observable response history, patch delivery, review and branch controls, and supported release lines. |
| Supply chain and package practices | Declared license, dependency tree, package publication, release provenance or integrity, and review of changes entering your build. |
| Operational exit cost | How readily you can pin, replace, migrate from or maintain a fork of the dependency. |
GitHub dependency review provides some concrete change metadata for package comparisons, but its availability depends on repository and product configuration. A comparison still needs to account for your own compatibility and operational requirements.
Best Value
Interpret metrics without turning them into verdicts
OpenSSF Scorecard’s Maintained check gives its top maintenance result when a project has at least one commit per week during the previous 90 days. It can give a partial result based on certain maintainer issue activity, assigns archived projects the lowest result, and only evaluates projects older than 90 days. These are Scorecard rules, not a universal definition of a healthy project.
Project risk depends on what the software does, how quickly its surrounding ecosystem changes and how urgently defects need patches. A stable, low-change utility may have little reason to change; a fast-moving or security-sensitive dependency calls for stronger evidence of response and compatibility. A low Scorecard result—or a quiet repository—should prompt investigation, not an automatic rejection.
Stars, forks, downloads, open-issue counts, commit totals and badges can add context, but they do not establish whether the version you need fits, receives necessary fixes or can be maintained. The OpenSSF evaluation guide also cautions that its listed tools and services are examples and that even good open-source software can perform poorly on particular evaluation questions.
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Before approval, record the evidence you found, what remains unknown, who owns the decision and what you will do if upstream support slows. For a high-impact dependency, decide whether your team can pin the version, monitor advisories, upgrade, replace it or maintain a fork. If you accept low activity in a mature project, document why its role and change rate make that acceptable for your use.
Quick Recap
- Repository and package identity, including the selected version.
- License and fit for the intended use.
- Support or end-of-life signals and relevant release history.
- How maintainers handle user issues and security reports.
- Security, review, dependency and package practices that matter to your risk.
- Known unknowns, a decision owner and a fallback plan.
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