To use the API, users first have to register for a key and they can then query metrics such as the number of active contributors and commits, the number of lines of code, the main programming language used and licensing information for the project. Black Duck uses the Ohloh database to identify items such as particularly active new projects or licensing trends.
Black Duck now also offers a beta version of the revamped code search on Ohloh, which it says can be used to search over ten billion lines of code. One aim is to improve links between project code and metadata.