A Beginner's Guide to Open Source: From Finding a Project to Submitting Your Contribution.
Open source software is a type of software that is freely available to use, modify, and distribute. It's becoming increasingly popular in recent years, and many companies, organizations, and individuals are turning to open-source solutions to power their projects. This article is titled "A Beginner's Guide" as it aims to provide a comprehensive overview for those new to open source, as someone who recently went through the challenges of making thier first contribution, I understand how overwhelming it can be to navigate the world of open source. In this article, we’ll take a detailed, step-by-step look at how to make your first contribution to open source.
Table of Contents.
Introduction
Explanation of open source and its importance
- Reasons why beginners should get involved in open source
Finding the right project
Tips for finding a beginner-friendly project
List of some beginner-friendly repos to start with.
Understanding the Project
Importance of reading documentation and understanding requirements
Steps for familiarizing yourself with the project's codebase
Finding an Issue to Contribute To
How to find open issues in a project
Tips for finding beginner-friendly issues
Must you know how to code to contribute
Preparing to Contribute
Forking a repository
Tools and resources for making contributions
Making Your Changes
Tips for making effective and meaningful contributions
Best practices for testing your changes
Submitting Your Contribution
How to submit a pull request
Getting Involved in the Community
The importance of networking and connecting with other contributors
Conclusion
Recap of the key points and benefits of making your first open-source contribution as a beginner
Encouragement to continue participating in open source
Introduction
Open source refers to a type of software that is released with a license that allows users to view, modify, and distribute the source code. This means that anyone can take the code and use it for their purposes, as long as they abide by the terms of the license. Participating in open-source projects can be a great opportunity for personal and career growth. It can help you gain experience, develop new skills, and even showcase your ability to work in a team to potential employers. It also allows you to give back to the community by helping make software better for everyone. Plus, you get to learn from a diverse group of people, exposure to new technologies and ideas, build a portfolio, and make valuable professional connections.
Finding the Right Project
There are countless open-source projects available, and you can find them by searching on websites like Github, SourceForge, and GitLab. You can also find open source software on the websites of specific organizations, such as the Linux Foundation. Once you've found a project that you're interested in, be sure to read the documentation and understand the requirements before you start using it. This will help you avoid any issues down the road. Look for issues labeled as "beginner-friendly" or "good first issue" These issues are usually a great place to start for beginners as they often require less experience and are a good introduction to the codebase.
Understanding the Project
It's important to understand what the project is all about before you start contributing. Read the documentation and understand the requirements before you start contributing. This will help avoid any issues down the road. Familiarize yourself with the project's codebase, such as looking at the project's file structure and reading through the source code.
Every open source projects usually have documentations which are usually found at the top of the repository. These includes the License, Readme, Contributing, and Code_of_conduct files. Let me briefly explain the contents each of these documentations
LICENSE: Every open source project must have an open source license. If the project does not have a license, it is not open source.
README: The README is the instruction manual that welcomes new community members to the project. It explains why the project is useful and how to get started.
CONTRIBUTING: Whereas READMEs help people use the project, contributing docs help people contribute to the project. It explains what types of contributions are needed and how the process works. While not every project has a CONTRIBUTING file, its presence signals that this is a welcoming project to contribute to.
CODE_OF_CONDUCT: The code of conduct sets ground rules for participants’ behavior associated and helps to facilitate a friendly, welcoming environment. While not every project has a CODE_OF_CONDUCT file, its presence also indicates that this is a welcoming project to contribute to.
Finding an Issue to Contribute To
Most open source projects have a list of open issues that need to be addressed. Look for issues that are labeled as "beginner-friendly" or "good first issue". These issues are usually a great place to start for beginners as they often require less experience and are a good introduction to the codebase. One major misconception lot of beginners make is thinking you have to be a code expert before you can work on open source. In fact, it’s often the other parts of a project that are most neglected or overlooked. You’ll do the project a huge favor by offering to pitch in with these types of contributions!
You might scan a README and find a broken link or a typo. Or you’re a new user and you noticed something is broken, or an issue that you think should really be in the documentation. Instead of ignoring it and moving on, or asking someone else to fix it, see whether you can help out by pitching in. That’s what open source is all about!
Some beginner friendly repos are:
https://github.com/EddieHubCommunity/hacktoberfest-practice
https://github.com/EddieHubCommunity/LinkFree
https://github.com/Pradumnasaraf/open-source-with-pradumna
Preparing to Contribute
To make your first contribution, you'll need to "FORK" the repository. This means that you'll create a copy of the project's code on your own GitHub account and then clone it locally. You'll then make your changes to this copy and then submit a "pull request" to the original repository with the changes you've made. Depending on the issue, this could be as simple as fixing a typo or as complex as adding a new feature. Be sure to follow the project's coding guide and make sure your changes are in line with the project's goals. Test your changes to ensure that everything is working as expected.
Submitting Your Contribution
Once you're satisfied with your changes, you can submit a pull request. A pull request is a request to the original repository to merge your changes into the main branch. Make sure to write a clear and concise description of your changes and why you think they should be included in the project. This will make it easier for the project maintainers to review your changes and decide whether to accept them or not. Be sure to also include any relevant information such as a link to the issue you're addressing and screenshots of the changes.
Getting Involved in the Community: Open source is all about community and collaboration, so don't be afraid to get involved in the community. You can do this by joining mailing lists, forums, or social media groups related to the project. Lot of project these days have discord channels that you can join. This will help you stay up-to-date on the latest developments and connect with other people who are interested in the project. It's also a great way to learn from others, ask for help, and make valuable professional connections.
In conclusion, making your first contribution to an open source project can be a bit daunting, but it's definitely worth it. By following the steps outlined in this article, you'll be able to find a project that interests you, understand the requirements and familiarize yourself with the codebase, find an issue to contribute to, and make your first contribution.
Working on an open source project helps you as much as it helps the project, here are some links to some other resources for you to learn Open source from for free.
https://github.com/Pradumnasaraf/open-source-with-pradumna
https://opensource.guide/how-to-contribute/
Participating in open source projects can be a great way to gain experience and develop new skills, and it also allows you to give back to the community. Remember, open source is about community and collaboration, so don't be afraid to ask for help or reach out to the maintainers if you have any questions. Happy contributing!