{
 "schemaVersion": 1,
 "generated": "2026-10-30",
 "dataLicense": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
 "notice": "Data from Open Source Everything (https://opensourceeverything.org), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0: use it freely, credit the site, link to the page, and share changes under the same license. Listings were drafted with AI assistance and are managed by the r/TrueOpenSource moderators; check a project's own page before relying on a fact.",
 "id": "code-understanding",
 "name": "Seeing and exploring a codebase",
 "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/code-understanding/",
 "category": "dev",
 "categoryName": "Writing code",
 "job": "Visual maps and tours of how a codebase fits together",
 "closedApps": [
  "Sourcegraph",
  "CodeSee"
 ],
 "coverage": "one-full",
 "alternatives": [
  {
   "id": "codecharta",
   "name": "CodeCharta",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/codecharta/",
   "summary": "CodeCharta turns the source code of a software project into a 3D city map, showing where code is large, complex, or often changed, plus its word usage and dependencies. It is aimed at programmers and software teams who want to understand and discuss their codebase.",
   "kind": "developer_tool",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "Made for developers: you use it from code or the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "windows",
    "mac",
    "linux"
   ],
   "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 560,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/MaibornWolff/codecharta",
   "website": "https://codecharta.com",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "codecharta",
   "rank": 1,
   "fit": "full",
   "note": null,
   "why": "Does the whole job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 56.2
  },
  {
   "id": "sourcebot",
   "name": "Sourcebot",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/sourcebot/",
   "summary": "Sourcebot is a self-hosted tool that gathers code from many project storage sites into one searchable place, so people and AI helper programs can look through it together. It is aimed at software teams and the developers who work with them.",
   "kind": "self_hosted",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "You run it on your own server (a computer you set up and keep running), or from the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "server"
   ],
   "license": "MIT",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 4008,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/sourcebot-dev/sourcebot",
   "website": "https://www.sourcebot.dev",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "sourcebot",
   "rank": 2,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Search and AI-made diagrams exist; no described interactive codebase tours or visual maps",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 36.8
  },
  {
   "id": "gource",
   "name": "Gource",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/gource/",
   "summary": "Gource is a tool that turns the history of a software project into an animated picture, showing who changed which files over time. It is for programmers and project managers who want to see how a codebase grew and who worked on it.",
   "kind": "developer_tool",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "Made for developers: you use it from code or the command line.",
   "platforms": [],
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": false,
   "stars": 13180,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/acaudwell/Gource",
   "website": "https://gource.io",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "gource",
   "rank": 3,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Shows history and contributors over time, not how code parts connect.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 36.4
  },
  {
   "id": "opengrok",
   "name": "OpenGrok",
   "page": "https://opensourceeverything.org/p/opengrok/",
   "summary": "OpenGrok is a fast tool for searching and browsing large collections of source code, showing where names and functions are used across a project. It is aimed at programmers and the people who maintain software projects.",
   "kind": "self_hosted",
   "setup": "advanced",
   "setupWhy": "You run it on your own server (a computer you set up and keep running), or from the command line.",
   "platforms": [
    "server"
   ],
   "license": "CDDL-1.0",
   "licenseClass": "open",
   "licenseNeedsCheck": true,
   "stars": 5021,
   "forks": null,
   "status": "active",
   "verified": false,
   "latestRelease": null,
   "code": "https://github.com/oracle/opengrok",
   "website": "https://oracle.github.io/opengrok",
   "download": null,
   "release": null,
   "family": null,
   "familyChildren": [],
   "howToHelp": null,
   "project": "opengrok",
   "rank": 4,
   "fit": "partial",
   "note": "Covers search and cross-references, but no visual maps or guided tours.",
   "why": "Does part of the job · Advanced setup",
   "score": 31.1
  }
 ],
 "source": "https://opensourceeverything.org/g/code-understanding/",
 "group": "Seeing and exploring a codebase",
 "replaces": [
  "Sourcegraph",
  "CodeSee"
 ]
}