Understanding the GitHub Contribution Graph

The GitHub contribution graph—those little green squares—has become an iconic representation of developer activity. But what exactly counts as a contribution, and how can you make the most of this visual metric?

How Contributions Are Calculated

GitHub counts contributions from several activities:

What Counts

• Commits to default branch
• Opening issues
• Opening pull requests
• Pull request reviews
• Commits to gh-pages branch

What Doesn't Count

• Commits to non-default branches
• Commits to forks (unless merged)
• Private repos (unless enabled)
• Comments on issues/PRs
• Starring repositories

The Requirements for Commit Attribution

For a commit to appear on your contribution graph, it must meet these criteria:

1.The email used for the commit must be associated with your GitHub account
2.The commit must be made to a standalone repo (not a fork), OR to a fork's default branch that has been merged
3.The commit must be on the repo's default branch

Understanding the Color Intensity

The shade of green indicates contribution frequency:

1-3

4-6

7-9

10+

Tips for a Healthy Contribution Graph

→Consistency over volume: Daily small commits are better than sporadic large ones
→Include private contributions: Enable "Private contributions" in settings to show your full activity
→Verify your email: Ensure your commit email matches your GitHub account
→Quality matters: Don't game the system—meaningful contributions are more valuable

📊 Did You Know?

GitResu.me automatically parses your contribution data to showcase your activity patterns in a beautiful, recruiter-friendly format. See your GitHub story come to life!