Glad you want to help!
Contributing to Open Source
This page will show you how you can contribute to open-source projects, and how you can help me out with my projects!
I’m a huge advocate for open-source software and love to contribute to open source projects I'm glad you landed on this page and might want to contribute as welL! If you have an open-source project that could use some help, I’d love to hear from you!
Contributingto open source projects is great for the following reasons:
- Transparency: Open-source projects are transparent, meaning you can see the code and how it works. This is great for trust and security.
- Community: Open-source projects are built by communities of developers who work together to build something amazing. No corporate overlords here!
- Learn new skills: Contributing to open-source projects is a great way to learn new skills and improve your programming abilities.
And much more! There are so many reasons to contribute to open-source projects!
How To Contribute
There are many ways to contribute to open-source projects. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Code Contributions: The most common way to contribute to open-source projects is by writing code. You can fix bugs, add new features, and improve the project in many ways.
- Documentation: Another great way to contribute is by improving the project documentation. You can write guides, tutorials, and other helpful resources to make the project easier to use.
- Testing: Testing is an important part of any software project. You can help by testing the project, finding bugs, and reporting issues to the developers.
- Community: You can also contribute to open-source projects by helping out in the community. This can include answering questions, helping other users, and promoting the project to others.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. There are many other ways to contribute to open-source projects, so find something that interests you and get involved!
If you want to help me out with my projects, check out my GitHub and see if there’s anything you can contribute to!
With all of that being said, this guide is for contributing toGitHub projects, and the same logic should apply to most other platforms as well. Let's get started!
Step 1
Find a Project
This assumes you don't already have a project in mind. If you do, feel free to skip this step!
The first step to contributing to open-source projects is to find a project that interests you. There are thousands of open-source projects out there, so finding one that you like should be easy.
- GitHub: GitHub is a great place to find open-source projects. You can search for projects by language, topic, or keyword to find something that interests you.
- Open Source Directories: There are also many open-source directories that list projects by category. You can browse these directories to find projects that match your interests.
- Personal Projects: If you have a project of your own that you want to open-source, you can do that too! Just create a repository on GitHub and share it with the world.
Once you’ve found a project that interests you, take some time to explore the code, read the documentation, and get familiar with how the project works. This will help you get started with contributing.
Step 2
Fork the Project
Once you’ve found a project that interests you, the next step is to fork the project on GitHub.
Forking a project creates a copy of the project in your own GitHub account. This allows you to make changes to the project without affecting the original project.
- Fork Button: To fork a project, simply click the “Fork” button on the project page on GitHub. This will create a copy of the project in your account.
- Clone the Repository: Once you’ve forked the project, you can clone the repository to your local machine using Git or by hitting clone and downloading the zip of the repository on GitHub. This will download the project files to your computer.
- Add a Remote: To keep your fork up to date with the original project, you can add a remote to the original project. This will allow you to pull in changes from the original project.
Once you’ve forked the project and cloned the repository, you’re ready to start making changes to the project. This is where the fun begins!
Step 3
Make Changes
Now that you have a copy of the project on your local machine, you can start making changes to the project.
There are many ways to contribute to open-source projects, but the most common way is by writing code. You can fix bugs, add new features, and improve the project in many ways.
- Create a Branch: The first step to making changes is to create a new branch in the project. This allows you to work on your changes without affecting the main project.
- Make Changes: Once you’ve created a branch, you can start making changes to the project. You can fix bugs, add new features, and improve the project in many ways.
- Commit Changes: After you’ve made your changes, you can commit them to your branch. This saves your changes to the project and prepares them to be pushed to GitHub.
Once you’ve made your changes, you’re ready to push them to GitHub and create a pull request. This is where you submit your changes to the project maintainers for review.
Step 4
Create a Pull Request
Once you’ve made your changes to the project, the next step is to create a pull request on GitHub.
A pull request is a way to submit your changes to the project maintainers for review. They can review your changes, provide feedback, and decide whether to merge your changes into the main project.
- Create a Pull Request: To create a pull request, simply navigate to the project on GitHub and click the “New Pull Request” button. This will open a form where you can submit your changes for review.
- Describe Your Changes: When creating a pull request, be sure to describe your changes in detail. This will help the project maintainers understand what you’ve done and why.
- Review Changes: Once you’ve created a pull request, the project maintainers will review your changes. They may ask questions, provide feedback, and suggest improvements.
Once your pull request has been reviewed and approved, the project maintainers will merge your changes into the main project. Congratulations, you’ve successfully contributed to an open-source project!
Step 5
Celebrate!
Congratulations, you’ve successfully contributed to an open-source project! Now it’s time to celebrate!
Contributing to open-source projects is a great way to give back to the community, learn new skills, and improve your programming abilities. You should be proud of what you’ve accomplished!
- Share Your Success: Share your success with others! Let your friends, family, and colleagues know that you’ve contributed to an open-source project. They’ll be proud of you!
- Keep Contributing: Contributing to open-source projects is addictive! Once you’ve made your first contribution, you’ll want to keep going and contribute to more projects. Keep up the great work!
- Learn and Grow: Contributing to open-source projects is a great way to learn new skills and improve your programming abilities. Take what you’ve learned and apply it to your own projects!
Congratulations on your first open-source contribution! Keep up the great work and continue to make a difference in the open-source community!
Get Started!
Now that you know how to contribute to open-source projects, it’s time to get started! Find a project that interests you, make some changes, and submit a pull request. You’ll be amazed at how rewarding it can be!
It's also worth mentioning that GitHub has organizations, which can be great communities of makers to join and contribute to. If you want to join one, maybe consider joining 4934, a community run organization of makers, creators, and builders!