# instructure/canvas-lms

The open LMS by Instructure, Inc.

Repository: https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/canvas-lms
Homepage: https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms/wiki
Language: Ruby
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: instructure, canvas-lms, gerrit-mirror
Last push: 2026-04-30T14:52:10+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 68/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 80, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 5693, "days_push": 125, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 6783, forks 3019 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:48.568581+00:00)

## What it is
Canvas LMS is the open-source Learning Management System developed and maintained by Instructure, used by colleges, universities, and K-12 schools worldwide. It is a full-featured web application for course delivery, assignments, grading, and communication, released under the AGPLv3 license.

## Use cases
- self-host a learning management system for a university
- run an open-source LMS for K-12 schools
- host online courses with assignments and grading
- customize an LMS for institutional needs
- migrate from a proprietary LMS to an open-source one
- develop or contribute to an open-source education platform

## When to choose
- you need a mature, full-featured LMS for a school or university
- you want an open-source, self-hosted alternative to proprietary LMS platforms
- your institution needs course management, grading, and student communication in one system

## When to avoid
- you need a simple course website rather than a full LMS
- you cannot operate a complex Ruby on Rails application with significant infrastructure
- you need a lightweight plugin for an existing platform instead of a standalone system

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: stable
- function: web-framework, self-hosted, developer-tools
- domain: education, web-development, self-hosted
- platform: ruby, self-hosted
- tags: lms, learning-management-system, education-platform, ruby-on-rails, agpl, linux, macos, web-server, docker

## Member repositories
- instructure/canvas-lms (main) score 68

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:48.568581+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T17:42:21.754191+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:48.568581+00:00, sha 06016966fbcc)
  - homepage: https://github.com/instructure/canvas-lms/wiki (fetched 2026-08-29T08:38:14.424396+00:00, sha 51f3d96297ea)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.