Sindre Sorhus (born 1989) is a Norwegian programmer who is the most prolific open-source developer on GitHub. His packages are downloaded billions of times monthly, and his work forms essential infrastructure for JavaScript development.
Prolific Output
Sorhus maintains over 1,200 npm packages, including:
- AVA: Testing framework
- Got: HTTP request library
- Chalk: Terminal string styling
- Inquirer.js: Interactive CLI prompts (co-maintainer)
- Awesome lists: Curated resource lists
Philosophy
Sorhus advocates for small, focused modules:
- Each package does one thing well
- Small modules are easier to understand and maintain
- Composability comes from simplicity
Full-Time Open Source
Sorhus works on open source full-time, supported by sponsors and consulting. He demonstrated that sustainable open-source careers are possible without corporate employment.
Impact
Sorhus’s influence extends beyond his packages:
- Established patterns for JavaScript tooling
- “Awesome” lists became a GitHub convention
- Mentored the open-source community through example
- Proved individual developers can shape ecosystems
His work shows that consistent, high-quality contributions can have enormous cumulative impact.