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What do active, in development, and migration mean

What do active, in development, and migration mean

The Project status field in a DecAIHub project card describes the current lifecycle stage of the project being reviewed. The three most informative values — active, in development, and migration/merger — tell the reader whether the project is running and accessible, still building its product, or undergoing a structural transformation such as a token migration or merger with another entity.

These statuses are assigned based on observable evidence gathered during the project review process. They are descriptive labels, not quality judgments — an active project is not automatically better than one in development, and a migration does not imply failure.

In short: project statuses describe where a project is in its lifecycle — and in DecAIHub they help readers quickly filter which projects have live products, which are pre-launch, and which are in structural transition.

How project statuses work

Active

A project with status active has a product or service that is currently operational and accessible to users. This is the most common status in the DecAIHub catalog. "Active" means the project's main functionality — whether it is a trading platform, a compute marketplace, an inference API, or a data network — is live and usable.

Active does not imply completeness. Many active projects continue to develop new features, expand to additional chains, or iterate on their AI components. The label simply confirms that the core product is running and accessible as of the review date.

Variants of the active status capture additional nuance:

  • invite-only — the product is live but access is restricted to users with an invitation or access pass.
  • public beta — the product is live and publicly accessible but explicitly labeled as beta by the team, indicating that features may change and stability is not fully guaranteed.
  • private beta — the product exists in a working state but access is limited to a closed group of testers.
  • early access — similar to beta, the product is available but positioned as an early version with ongoing development.

All of these are sub-states of "active" — the product exists and works, but with access or maturity qualifications.

In development

A project with status in development has not yet launched its main product. The team may have published documentation, deployed testnet contracts, released a whitepaper, or conducted token sales, but the core functionality described in the project's roadmap is not yet live for general use.

This status is common for newer projects and does not carry a negative connotation in DecAIHub. Many legitimate projects spend months or years in development before launching. However, "in development" does mean that key claims about the product's capabilities — especially AI capabilities — cannot yet be verified through a live product.

Migration/merger

A project with status migration/merger is undergoing a structural transformation: migrating its token to a new contract or chain, merging with another project, rebranding under a new identity, or transitioning its core infrastructure in a way that temporarily changes how users interact with it.

This status signals instability in the project's current form. During a migration, the project's token contract, main chain, or even its fundamental use case may change. Readers should treat project card data for migration-status projects as potentially outdated, since the migration process may alter key fields like token standard, main chain, or use case.

Other statuses

The Project status field may also contain:

  • unknown — the review could not determine the project's current status from available sources.

Why project status matters

Filtering and prioritization. Readers use status to decide which projects to investigate further. A researcher looking for AI tools to use today will focus on active projects. An investor interested in early-stage opportunities may look at projects in development. A reader tracking industry consolidation will pay attention to migrations and mergers.

Evaluating AI claims. AI reality — whether a project has genuine, working AI — is much harder to assess for projects in development. An active project can be tested: its API can be called, its outputs can be evaluated, its on-chain activity can be observed. A project in development can only present claims and plans. DecAIHub's AI evidence criteria and Tier system account for this difference.

Data freshness. A project in migration may have outdated information in its card. The token standard listed may refer to the old contract. The main chain may be changing. Readers should cross-reference migration-status projects with the latest announcements from the project team.

Where this appears in DecAIHub project cards

  • Project status — this is the primary field where the value appears. It is one of the first fields a reader sees and provides immediate context for interpreting the rest of the card.
  • Network status — a related but distinct field that describes the blockchain network's stage (mainnet, testnet, beta). A project can be "active" in terms of its product but deployed on a "testnet" network. Conversely, a project "in development" may have its token on a mainnet chain even though the product is not yet live.
  • Use case — the use case description may reference migration-specific activities (e.g., "KEY→SFI migration") for projects in transition.

What project status alone does not prove

  • Quality — an active project is not necessarily good. It is live, but it may have bugs, low usage, or questionable AI claims. Activity is a necessary but insufficient condition for quality.
  • AI reality — being active does not prove that the AI component works. A project can be active as a DeFi protocol while its claimed AI features are non-functional or cosmetic. AI reality is assessed through separate evidence.
  • Longevity — an active status reflects the present, not the future. Projects can become inactive, shut down, or pivot at any time.
  • Development progress — "in development" does not indicate how close a project is to launch. It covers everything from early concept to imminent release. The status alone does not distinguish between a team with a whitepaper and a team with a feature-complete testnet.
  • Migration success — a migration/merger status indicates a process is underway, not that it will succeed. Migrations can fail, stall, or result in a fundamentally different project than what was originally described.

Frequently asked questions

How does DecAIHub determine a project's status?

Status is determined during the project review process based on observable evidence: Is the product accessible? Can a user interact with its core functionality? Is the team publicly communicating that the product is in development or undergoing migration? The review draws on official documentation, the project's website, on-chain activity, and public announcements. When status cannot be determined, it is marked as "unknown."

Can a project change status over time?

Yes. Projects regularly move between statuses. A project in development launches and becomes active. An active project undergoes a token migration and temporarily enters migration/merger status. An active project may cease operations and have its status updated accordingly. DecAIHub project cards are periodically reviewed, and status is updated when evidence warrants a change.

Should I avoid projects in development or migration?

DecAIHub does not provide investment advice or project recommendations. The status field is informational: it tells you what stage the project is in so you can make your own decisions with accurate context. Projects in development may have innovative ideas but unverifiable claims. Projects in migration may be improving their infrastructure but carry transition risks. Neither status is inherently positive or negative.

External references

See also

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