The world of bitcoin is filled with active developers and others figures who play a prominent role in the future of the technology. It is difficult to measure who is the most active developer other than by looking at the commits made on GitHub. A lot has changed over the past seven and a half years, and there are a lot more developments on the horizon, that much is certain.

#5 Luke-jr

One of the more colorful figures in the bitcoin ecosystem goes by the nickname Luke-jr. He is not afraid to share some controversial thoughts on the bitcoin ecosystem and what the future should hold. Not all of this opinions are welcomed with open arms, though, yet a good discussion on Reddit can go a long way every now and then. Over the past few years, Luke-jr made over 270 commits to the bitcoin repository, making him an active contributor to the development of this popular cryptocurrency.

#4 Cory Fields

Under the “theuni” username, Cory Fields is quickly becoming an active contributor to the development of bitcoin as of late. He is also working on quite a few other things, including the popular XBMC project. With 485 commits made to Bitcoin since early 2014, Fields is quite the busy bee for sure. His expertise in C, C++, and Shell are put to good use, that much is certain.

#3 Pieter Wuille

The name Pieter Wuille will ring a bell for most cryptocurrency enthusiasts, as he is also the co-founder of Blockstream. Wuille is contributing a lot of his time and effort to bitcoin development since early 2012. In fact, he is one of the “oldest” bitcoin development contributors to be found today. Although not everyone may agree with all of his ideas related to bitcoin, one can only respect the active work he has put into developing bitcoin and its features so far.

#2 Gavin Andresen

Although Gavin Andresen has a lot less bitcoin development commits than both Corey Fields and Pieter Wuille, he is one of the more public figures in the world of cryptocurrency. Gavin likes to share his opinions with the world in his hopes of sparking new ideas and discussions revolving around bitcoin.

Moreover, Gavin can often be found as a speaker during popular Bitcoin and blockchain events. He has a way of explaining complicated concepts in a way most people can understand, regardless of their tech-savviness. Even though he has “only” made 485 commits on bitcoin since 2010, he has been a consistent contributor and a valuable addition to the global team of developers.

#1 Wladimir J. van der Laan

When it comes to the number of active commits made to bitcoin, no one has put in more time and effort than Wladimir J. van der Laan. With over 1,407 commits since 2011, it is evident he has been a keen supporter of bitcoin as a whole. Additionally, he keeps contributing in a very active manner as time progresses, which is good to see. Although Wladimir is not the most public bitcoin figure by any means, his work does commend respect.

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