TL;DR
A public crawl of the Gemini network recorded 646,369 URIs on Jan. 6, 2026, with 560,646 recently reachable and 431,340 serving Gemini content. The dataset also captures capsule counts, resource-size distributions, MIME types, language tags, status codes, certificate details and network addressing information.
What happened
A crawler-maintained dataset of the Gemini ecosystem was updated on 2026-01-06 and published with detailed operational metrics. The collection lists 646,369 URIs overall; 560,646 have returned a recent successful response (status code 20) and 431,340 of those deliver Gemini-formatted content. Resource sizes are small on average (mean ~46 KB) with a median gemtext page at 1,466 bytes. The report enumerates MIME types (text/gemini far ahead of others), language tags (many unspecified, followed by English and several European languages), and response codes (95% success). It also inventories 4,825 capsules, of which 3,251 were contacted successfully recently, and profiles certificates (large majority self-signed), TLS versions (almost all using TLS 1.3), IP addresses and TLD distribution. The maintainer notes coverage limits and exclusion reasons such as robots.txt and crawler caps.
Why it matters
- Provides a measurable snapshot of Gemini’s size, content types and operational health for researchers and operators.
- Resource-size and MIME breakdowns indicate the predominance of lightweight text content on the network.
- Certificate and TLS data highlight the security posture—high use of self-signed certificates and near-universal TLS 1.3 deployment.
- Capsule and addressing statistics give insight into decentralization, hosting patterns and IPv6 uptake.
Key facts
- Total URIs in database: 646,369.
- Recently successful connections (status 20): 560,646; 431,340 of those serve Gemini content.
- Number of capsules discovered: 4,825; 3,251 contacted successfully recently.
- Median size for gemtext pages: 1,466 bytes; overall median resource size: 2,318 bytes; average resource size: 46,339 bytes.
- Most common MIME type: text/gemini (431,340 URLs); next most common include image/jpeg and text/plain.
- Language tags: 383,664 URLs unspecified; 121,355 tagged as English; German and French follow.
- Status codes: 20 (Success) = 560,646 (94.98%); 51 (Not found) = 17,919 (3.04%).
- Certificates: 3,006 capsules (92.5%) use self-signed certificates; 5 use Let's Encrypt; 240 signed by other CAs; 93 certificates expired.
- TLS versions: 99% of capsules use TLS 1.3, 1% use TLS 1.2.
- Addresses: 1,263 IP addresses observed; 27% of them are IPv6.
What to watch next
- Adoption of CA-signed certificates vs self-signed certificates over time — not confirmed in the source.
- Changes in IPv6 share among addresses and shifts in hosting concentration — not confirmed in the source.
- Future documentation of per-capsule bytes limits (page notes this is 'not properly documented yet').
Quick glossary
- Gemini: A lightweight internet protocol and ecosystem focused on simple, text-first content and privacy-preserving browsing.
- Capsule: A single Gemini server instance that hosts one or more URIs; analogous to a website in the WWW.
- Gemtext: The native textual content format for Gemini, designed for minimal markup and readability.
- TLS: Transport Layer Security, a cryptographic protocol used to secure connections; Gemini commonly uses TLS 1.3.
- Self-signed certificate: A TLS certificate issued by the same entity that operates the server, not validated by an external certificate authority.
Reader FAQ
When was this dataset updated?
The stats page was updated on 2026-01-06 04:04:01Z.
Does the dataset cover the entire Geminispace?
No — the maintainer states it cannot claim complete coverage and lists exclusions such as robots.txt and crawler limits.
How is a URI classified as 'working'?
A URI is considered 'working' if a successful connection was observed within the last 31 days; dead resources are removed after 46 days.
Who maintains these statistics?
The crawler and statistics are maintained by Stéphane Bortzmeyer (contact given on the source).
Is there information about growth trends?
Not confirmed in the source.
gemini.bortzmeyer.org Statistics on the Gemini space This page presents some statistics on the current state of the Gemini space. It has been updated on 2026-01-06 04:04:01Z. It cannot…
Sources
- Gemini Protocol Deployment Statistics
- Gemini Users Stats 2026 (Usage & Growth Data)
- Gemini Protocol is Increasingly Important to the Net
- Crypto Glossary – Cryptopedia
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