How to Contribute to Open Source Projects
What is Open Source?
Imagine you’re in a classroom, and your teacher shares a document on a computer. You and your classmates can look at the document, make changes to it, and even create your own copies. However, here’s the catch: your teacher has to give the final approval before any changes you make become a part of the main document.
Now, think of open-source projects like this classroom scenario. In open source, a person or a group creates a computer program and shares its “recipe,” called source code, with the world. Anyone can see it, use it, and even change it. But just like in the classroom, the changes they make must be approved by the project’s owner before becoming part of the official version.
What’s cool about open source is that it’s not just for computer whizzes. People with different skills, like writing, speaking multiple languages, or finding and fixing mistakes, can help. Even small contributions, like fixing a typo, adding a helpful note, or writing detailed instructions, can make a big difference.
When all these contributions from people with different skills come together, amazing things can happen. Open-source projects become better, and more powerful, and can be used by lots of people all over the world. It’s like a big team effort to make technology better for everyone.
Just as Vincent van Gogh said:
Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Why You Should Contribute to Open-Source?
- To improve the software you rely on daily.
- Community Building
- To learn new skills or improve on existing ones.
- To share your skills/expertise
- Innovation, Creativity and Accessibility
- To gain a much deeper knowledge about the software you’re using.
- To build up your reputation and help grow your career.
- Plus, it’s fun and gives you personal growth — who knows who’s observing, potentially your future employer or collaborator? 😊
What to Know Before Contributing to an OS Project
Each community has its own rules and will have different guidelines and roles, and if you are lucky some also do give rewards after you contribute.
However, even with all the differences, there are some things that are the same in all open-source projects. That’s what we’re going to discuss.
- Author: The person who starts the project and can invite others to help.
- Owner: The boss who has control over the project. This person could be the same as the author.
- Maintainers: The project leaders who guide its direction and work to improve it.
- Contributors: People who join in and follow the project’s rules.
- Community Members/Users: Important members of the group who give feedback, report issues, and help the project grow.
Must have elements in all OS projects
When discussing an open-source(OS) project they can be classified in manners based on their structure the type of product platform they belong to the programming language utilized whether they have sponsorship or are fully independent and other factors.
All the necessary information should be presented using guidelines and relevant details;
- License
For a project to be considered source it must have an open source license. This license serves as a safeguard, for both contributors and users. Businesses and experienced developers typically avoid projects that lack this protection. - README file
This manual serves as a guide, on how to begin working on a project. It outlines the requirements for contributing to the project. Provides step-by-step instructions, on how to get involved. A crafted README should include all the information that potential contributors would find valuable when learning about the project. - Contribution Guidelines
This manual serves as a guide, on how to begin working on a project. It outlines the requirements for contributing to the project. Provides step-by-step instructions, on how to get involved. A crafted README should include all the info - Code of Conduct
A code of conduct serves as a guide that outlines the behaviour expectations, for contributors and participants. By implementing and upholding a code of conduct you can foster an inclusive atmosphere, within your community.
As an individual or an organization running an Open-Source project, it’s all about creating a community where people can grow together. This means that you will have to develop a friendly environment where people will get to share ideas, work on challenges, and even have random chats at some time.
As a beginner how can I contribute to OS projects?
Do I need to be a coder? How do I balance open-source contributions with my other commitments? Where can I find open-source projects to contribute to? What programming languages or technologies should I learn? What if my contribution is rejected? How do I choose the right project for me?
- Start with “Good First Issue” or “Good Enhancement” Tags: Many open-source projects label issues that are suitable for beginners as “Good First Issue” or “Good Enhancement.” These are a great starting point for newcomers. You can find such labelled issues in the project’s issue tracker.
- Leverage Your Skills: If you’re new to contributing to open source, start with projects that use programming languages you are comfortable with. This will make it easier for you to understand the codebase and make contributions.
- Search on Platforms: Explore open-source project hosting platforms like GitHub or GitLab. Use their search features to find projects related to your interests or the languages you know.
Code Documentation — Code reviews — Issue tracking — Bug reports/fix
Quick hack for you In the world of open-source software, issues get reported and fixed pretty quickly. So, a good way to kick start is to take on an issue and be sure to try to work on it promptly.
What is a Pull Request?
We can describe a pull request as when a contributor submits changes — whether it’s code, documentation, or elsewhere — and asks a maintainer to check it out, make sure it’s fine, and then merge it to the base project.
Benefits of Contributing to Open Source
- If you’re on GitHub, a large portion of the things you do on that platform are public. Use this to your advantage by always doing your best when contributing and communicating with fellow contributors.
Why You Should Contribute to Open Source as a Developer
- Practicing coding will enhance your coding skills.
- Help you become better at writing code.
- Additionally being involved in the community and letting your peers know about your skills can open up career opportunities for you.
- Moreover delving into project management through this practice may ignite the inspiration to embark on your project.
Let's conclude!
As I’ve already stated open source welcomes everyone to get involved. There are opportunities you can seize and gain knowledge from. All you need is to decide to begin and get started.
