How to Contribute to Open-Source Projects – A Beginner‘s Guide
If you‘re a programmer, you‘ve probably heard of open-source software. But what exactly does "open source" mean? And why would you want to contribute to open-source projects as a beginner?
In simple terms, open-source software is code that is publicly available and free for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. Open-source projects are developed collaboratively by communities of volunteer contributors, rather than by a single company or organization.
The open-source movement has grown tremendously over the past few decades. Today, open-source software powers much of the internet and is used by the majority of enterprises. Some of the most popular programming languages, frameworks, and tools—such as Python, Node.js, React, and Git—are open source.
As a beginner programmer, contributing to open-source projects is one of the best ways to gain practical experience, improve your skills, and build your reputation in the developer community. In this guide, we‘ll walk through how to get started with open-source contributions, step-by-step.
Benefits of Contributing to Open Source
Before we dive into the how-to, let‘s look at some of the key benefits of participating in open source as a beginner:
Improve Your Coding Skills
Open-source contributions give you the chance to practice your programming skills on real-world codebases. You‘ll get feedback on your code from experienced developers, learn new techniques and best practices, and get comfortable using version control and other collaboration tools. Many hiring managers look favorably upon open-source experience, as it demonstrates initiative and practical know-how.
Learn to Collaborate with Others
As a contributor to open source, you‘ll learn to work effectively with other programmers, communicate clearly in discussions and documentation, and resolve conflicts constructively. No matter what kind of software development job you end up in, strong collaboration skills are a must. Participating in open source is great practice for the teamwork you‘ll do on the job.
Gain Real-World Experience
Classroom exercises and side projects are valuable, but they usually involve simplified, well-defined problems. In contrast, open-source projects deal with the complexities of real-world software, including large codebases, ever-evolving requirements, and issues reported by users. Open source gives you the chance to work on software that people are actually using, which is powerful experience to have under your belt.
Build Your Portfolio and Reputation
Every contribution you make to open source is publicly visible and associated with your name. Over time, you‘ll build up a portfolio of contributions that showcases your abilities—much more convincing than simply listing skills on a resume. If you become an active member of an open-source community, you‘ll build a network of other developers who know your work and can vouch for you.
Feel Rewarded by Helping Others
Open source depends on volunteers freely offering their time and effort for the public good. There‘s something uniquely rewarding about contributing to a tool or library that helps thousands or even millions of people. Many developers are drawn to open source because they want to give back to the community and make a positive impact.
How to Get Started with Open Source
Ready to make your first contribution to an open-source project? Here‘s how to get started:
Choose the Right Project
Start by finding a project that‘s a good fit for your current skills and interests. Look for a project that:
– Is actively maintained, with recent commits and responsive maintainers
– Has thorough documentation for contributors
– Uses a language or technology you‘re familiar with (or want to learn)
– Has a friendly, welcoming community
– Has beginner-friendly issues marked with labels like "good first issue", "beginner", "easy", or "help wanted"
Some great places to discover open-source projects include:
Remember, you don‘t have to start with a huge or well-known project. Contributing to smaller projects can be less intimidating and allows you to build relationships with the maintainers.
Find a Beginner-Friendly Issue
Once you‘ve found a promising project, look through its issue tracker for a task that‘s suitable for a first-time contributor. Many projects tag issues that are ideal for beginners.
If you can‘t find any beginner issues, don‘t be afraid to ask! Comment on an active issue thread, introduce yourself, and ask whether there are any tasks the maintainers would recommend for a new contributor. Many projects are eager to help new contributors get started.
Set Up Your Development Environment
Now that you‘ve found an issue to work on, you‘ll need to set up your local development environment. First, fork the project‘s repository on GitHub and clone it to your machine. Then, follow the instructions in the project‘s README or contributor guidelines to install any necessary dependencies and get the project running locally.
If you run into any problems, search the project‘s issue tracker to see if anyone else has encountered the same issue. If not, don‘t hesitate to open a new issue describing the problem you faced and how you resolved it. The maintainers will appreciate you taking the time to document your experience, and your solution could help future contributors.
Make Your First Contribution
Now you‘re ready to start working on your chosen issue. Before you begin coding, make sure you understand the scope of the task and the approach you plan to take. If anything is unclear, ask questions on the issue thread.
As you‘re working, commit your changes locally with clear, descriptive messages. When you‘re ready to submit your change, push your local branch to your forked repository and open a pull request back to the main project repository.
In your pull request description:
- Reference the original issue your change resolves
- Describe your approach and the reasoning behind it
- Highlight any areas you‘d like the maintainers to pay particular attention to
- Include screenshots or GIFs if your change affects the UI
Respond to Feedback
Once you‘ve opened your pull request, the project maintainers will review your contribution. Prepare for some back-and-forth discussion. The maintainers may request changes to your code to better align with the project‘s style conventions or quality standards.
Don‘t take this feedback personally! Code review is an essential part of the collaborative process that produces better software. Respond graciously to the maintainers‘ comments, ask clarifying questions if needed, and be prompt in implementing the requested changes.
Occasionally, project maintainers may reject a pull request if it doesn‘t align with the project‘s goals or scope. While disappointing, this is also a valuable learning experience. Thank the maintainers for their time, and apply any suggestions they made to your future contributions.
Best Practices for Open Source Contributions
As you continue participating in open source, keep these best practices in mind:
Be a Good Community Member
Open-source communities thrive when contributors are kind, respectful, and helpful to one another. Be sure to:
– Observe the project‘s code of conduct
– Welcome new contributors
– Assume positive intent in interactions
– Be patient and understanding, especially with non-native English speakers
– Express appreciation for others‘ work
Write Clear Commit Messages and Pull Request Descriptions
Well-written commit messages and pull request descriptions are essential for maintaining a project‘s history and helping other contributors understand your work. Follow the conventions of the project you‘re contributing to, which are often outlined in a CONTRIBUTING file.
Follow the Project‘s Guidelines and Conventions
Every open-source project has its own workflow, coding style, and other guidelines. Respect the project maintainers‘ time by closely following the conventions they‘ve established, rather than forcing them to correct deviations from the norm.
Accept Constructive Criticism Gracefully
Code review feedback and suggestions for improvement are vital parts of the open-source process. When receiving constructive criticism on your contributions, remember not to take it personally. Remain open-minded, ask clarifying questions, and express gratitude for the time others have taken to help you improve.
Help Review Others‘ Contributions
As you become a more experienced contributor, pay it forward by helping to review others‘ work. Not only will this deepen your own understanding of the codebase and best practices, it will also help the maintainers manage the project and support other contributors.
Becoming an Active Member of the Community
Contributing code is just one way to get involved in open source. To really deepen your engagement and maximize your impact, consider becoming an active member of the community surrounding the project.
Attend Conferences and Meetups
Many open-source projects hold conferences, meetups, or other in-person events. Attending these can be a great way to meet other contributors face-to-face, learn about the project‘s roadmap and goals, and find new opportunities to contribute.
Join Online Forums and Chat Channels
Most open-source projects have online forums, mailing lists, IRC channels, or Slack workspaces where contributors can ask and answer questions, share ideas, and coordinate work. Participating in these channels is a great way to stay up-to-date with the project, build relationships with other contributors, and find ways to help out.
Help Answer Questions from Other Contributors
As you gain experience with a project, you can support the community by helping to answer questions from other contributors, especially those who are new to the project. This frees up the maintainers‘ time and ensures that everyone feels supported.
Speak and Write About Your Open-Source Work
Share your open-source contributions through blog posts, tech talks, or social media. This helps increase the visibility of the project and inspires other developers to get involved. Many open-source projects also need help with documentation, tutorials, and other non-code contributions.
Become a Maintainer of a Project
Some larger open-source projects have a formal process for adding new maintainers. If you‘ve been an active contributor to a project for a while, express interest to the existing maintainers. Helping to oversee a project‘s long-term vision, review pull requests, and mentor new contributors is a big responsibility, but also a chance to make a huge impact.
Opportunities Enabled by Open Source
As you contribute more to open source, you may find that new opportunities open up to you, both personally and professionally. Open-source contributors often:
Collaborate with World-Class Developers
Many of the top programmers in the world participate in open source. Through open-source contributions, you can collaborate directly with experts in your field and learn from the best.
Contribute to Software Used by Millions
Open-source software powers a huge portion of the world‘s technology infrastructure. By contributing to widely-used open-source projects, you can make a direct impact on tools that millions of people depend on every day.
Get Hired for Open-Source Skills
Many companies are seeking developers with open-source experience. Your contributions can demonstrate your coding abilities, collaboration skills, and passion for software development to potential employers.
Build a Strong Professional Network
Through open-source participation, you can build relationships with developers around the world who share your interests. These connections can lead to exciting career opportunities, speaking invitations, or even lifelong friendships.
Success Stories
Still not convinced? Let‘s look at a few developers who launched successful careers through open-source contributions:
David Heinemeier Hansson
David Heinemeier Hansson is the creator of the popular Ruby on Rails web development framework. He started Rails as an open-source side project in 2004 while working as a contract developer. As Rails grew in popularity, opportunities came flooding in. DHH went on to co-found Basecamp, wrote multiple books, and became a widely-recognized tech leader. Today, Rails powers over 1.2 million websites.
Marijn Haverbeke
Marijn Haverbeke is the creator of CodeMirror, a popular open-source code editor used by millions of developers. He started the project in 2007 to scratch his own itch for a better in-browser code editor. Over time, CodeMirror gained widespread adoption and now powers editors in tools like AWS Cloud9 and Glitch. Through his open-source work, Marijn has landed top-tier programming jobs, earned income through sponsorships, and become a respected voice in the JavaScript community.
Limor Fried
Limor Fried is the founder and CEO of Adafruit Industries, a company that designs and manufactures open-source electronics. Limor got her start building open-source electronics projects and sharing them online. This established her reputation as an expert engineer and teacher. In 2005, she founded Adafruit to share her designs on a larger scale. Today, Adafruit earns over $45 million in annual revenue and employs over 100 people—all while keeping its hardware and software open source.
Get Started Contributing Today
We‘ve covered a lot in this guide, but the most important thing is to take action. Find an open-source project that interests you, and make your first contribution today, no matter how small. Over time, as you contribute more and become an active member of the community, you‘ll learn valuable skills, make new connections, and maybe even change the trajectory of your career.
To recap, here are the key steps to get started with open-source contributions:
- Choose a project that fits your interests and abilities
- Find a beginner-friendly issue to work on
- Set up your local development environment
- Submit your first pull request
- Respond gracefully to feedback
- Keep contributing and engaging with the community
- Look for opportunities to have a bigger impact
Remember, open source is all about collaboration and community. Be kind, be curious, and be open to learning from others. Most importantly, have fun! Contributing to open source can be an immensely rewarding experience. You‘ll build relationships with other passionate developers, gain real-world experience, and have the satisfaction of knowing your work is helping people all over the world.
So what are you waiting for? Your first open-source contribution is just a few clicks away. Get out there and happy coding!