GitHub Says TypeScript is #1 - Our Data Shows Why
Key Finding
GitHub's Octoverse 2025 reports TypeScript overtook Python and JavaScript in August 2025 to become the most-used language on GitHub - "the most significant language shift in more than a decade."
Our download data reveals why this happened - and what it means for AI development.
What GitHub Reports
GitHub's Octoverse 2025 report dropped major news today:
- TypeScript is now #1 - overtaking both Python and JavaScript in August 2025
- +1.05 million TypeScript contributors added in 2025 (+66% YoY)
- AI is driving the shift - TypeScript's strict typing benefits AI-assisted development
- 80% of new developers use Copilot in their first week
- 1.1M+ repositories now use LLM SDKs (+178% YoY)
What Our Data Shows
We track NPM and PyPI package downloads daily. Here's what the numbers reveal about TypeScript vs Python in AI development:
| Language | AI Package Downloads | Growth Signal |
|---|---|---|
| Python (PyPI) | 414.2M/month | Mature ecosystem |
| TypeScript (NPM) | 76.6M/month | Fastest growing (+21% frameworks) |
Python Still Dominates Downloads
Python has 5.4x more AI package downloads than TypeScript (414M vs 77M monthly).
But this doesn't contradict GitHub's claim - it validates it.
Why TypeScript is Winning (Despite Fewer Downloads)
GitHub measures contributors, not downloads. Our data shows why TypeScript is gaining contributors faster:
1. Fastest-Growing AI Frameworks Are TypeScript
Vercel AI SDK - The leading framework-agnostic AI SDK
- 4.1M weekly downloads (Oct 30, 2025)
- Up from 3.4M at Ship AI keynote
- +21% growth in just weeks
Frameworks defaulting to TypeScript (Next.js, Vercel AI SDK, etc.) drive new developer adoption.
2. AI Tools Benefit From TypeScript's Strict Typing
GitHub's report specifically notes: "AI-assisted development benefits from strict type systems."
Our GitHub scraper data confirms this:
| AI Tool | Repos Using Context Files | Primary Language |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | 21,904 | TypeScript-optimized |
| Claude Code | 12,935 | Language-agnostic |
| Cursor IDE | 8,203 | TypeScript-focused |
Data: October 30, 2025 - GitHub code search API
3. New Projects Choose TypeScript, Existing Projects Use Python
Here's the key insight from our download data:
Python's 5.4x download advantage comes from mature projects
- PyTorch: 94.7M/month (deep learning infrastructure)
- LangChain Core: 69.2M/month (Python-first framework)
- OpenAI Python: 124.9M/month (most mature SDK)
TypeScript's growth comes from new projects
- Vercel AI SDK: +21% growth (newest framework)
- OpenAI TypeScript: 31.7M/month (newer SDK, rapid growth)
- Anthropic TypeScript: 10.5M/month (launched 2023, fast adoption)
The Data Validates GitHub's Claim
GitHub's Octoverse reports contributors, not downloads. Our data shows why TypeScript contributor growth is accelerating:
- New AI projects default to TypeScript - frameworks like Vercel AI SDK (+21%) drive adoption
- AI coding assistants work better with TypeScript - 80% of new developers use Copilot
- TypeScript has momentum - fastest-growing AI frameworks are TypeScript-first
What This Means for AI Development
For Developers
- New AI projects should strongly consider TypeScript
- AI coding assistants will increasingly optimize for TypeScript
- Python remains dominant for ML/data science infrastructure
For Companies
- Hiring: TypeScript AI developers are the fastest-growing segment
- Tooling: Invest in TypeScript AI frameworks (Vercel AI SDK, etc.)
- Strategy: Python for research, TypeScript for production apps
Our Complete Data
TypeScript AI Package Downloads (NPM - October 30, 2025)
- OpenAI SDK: 31.7M/month
- Vercel AI SDK (@ai-sdk/ai): 16.4M/month
- Anthropic SDK: 10.5M/month
- LangChain Core: 7.6M/month
- Google Generative AI: 5.2M/month
- LangChain: 5.2M/month
- TOTAL: 76.6M/month
Python AI Package Downloads (PyPI - October 30, 2025)
- OpenAI SDK: 124.9M/month
- Transformers: 94.7M/month
- LangChain: 83.0M/month
- LangChain Core: 69.2M/month
- Anthropic SDK: 29.3M/month
- Google Generative AI: 13.1M/month
- TOTAL: 414.2M/month
AI Tool Adoption (GitHub - October 30, 2025)
- GitHub Copilot: 21,904 repos with copilot-instructions.md
- Claude Code: 12,935 repos with CLAUDE.md
- Cursor IDE: 8,203 repos with .cursorrules
- Continue.dev: 1,686 repos with .continue.md
Methodology
Our data comes from:
- NPM Official API - Daily package download tracking
- PyPI Official API - Daily package download tracking
- GitHub Code Search API - Repository AI context file adoption
- Manual verification - All claims cross-referenced with source data
Conclusion
GitHub's Octoverse 2025 claim that TypeScript is now #1 is accurate - but easily misunderstood.
Python still dominates AI package downloads (5.4x advantage), but TypeScript is winning new contributors because:
- Fastest-growing AI frameworks are TypeScript (Vercel AI SDK +21%)
- AI coding assistants optimize for TypeScript's strict typing
- New projects default to TypeScript, existing projects use Python
The data validates GitHub's claim: TypeScript is winning the future of AI development, even if Python dominates the present.
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Sources
- GitHub Octoverse 2025: A new developer joins GitHub every second as AI leads TypeScript to #1
- Vibe Data NPM Package Tracker (October 30, 2025)
- Vibe Data PyPI Package Tracker (October 30, 2025)
- Vibe Data GitHub Context Files Scraper (October 30, 2025)