open source contribution

Open source is a philosophy that promotes collaboration, transparency, and community. By sharing code openly, developers from all over the world can contribute their skills, knowledge, and creativity to projects that are used by millions of people every day.

Following are the steps in which you can start your open-source journey.

Join the Community

To contribute to open source, it’s important to join the community. Most open-source projects have a website or a GitHub repository where you can find information on how to contribute.

Open-source projects often have multiple communication channels to facilitate collaboration and support. The most common channels include mailing lists, forums, chat rooms, and issue trackers. These communication channels are generally listed on the websites or the projects’ repositories.
When contributing to an open-source project, it’s important to use the appropriate communication channels and follow the community’s guidelines for communication etiquette.

Being an effective communicator is crucial to successful collaboration and contributing to the project’s success. Being respectful and courteous when interacting with other community members is important.

Understand “Community” - the context of the open-source project

Communities comprise a group of individuals with different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives who come together to share their knowledge, skills, and passion for creating something meaningful and impactful.
To join an open-source community, it’s important to understand what the community is and what it expects from its members.
It’s crucial to be aware of cultural differences and to embrace the genuine spirit of community-based consideration for others. This means being patient, empathetic, helpful, and striving to create an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

Choose a Project

When it comes to contributing to open source, choosing the right project is crucial. A good place to start is the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), which hosts dozens of popular open-source projects in the cloud-native ecosystem.
When choosing a project to contribute to, it’s important to consider your interests and skill level. Look for projects that align with your strengths and that you’re passionate about. CNCF projects have a large and supportive community, with many resources available for contributors.

It is very important to start by reading the project documentation and exploring the issue tracker. If you’re new to the project, look for issues labelled as “good first issue” or “help wanted” - these are often small, well-defined tasks that are a good place to start.

Understand the Project

Using an open-source project before becoming a contributor is essential to understanding the project’s functionality and architecture. If available, follow the project’s tutorial or get started with documentation.
It helps contributors identify the project’s issues and challenges, allowing them to get acquainted with the codebase and its design principles.
Testing the project can help contributors identify areas where they can contribute to the project, allowing them to make more significant contributions and become more effective contributors.

Read the Documentation

Before you start contributing to a project, it’s important to read the documentation. Most projects have a README file that provides an overview of the project, how to set it up, and how to contribute. Read the documentation carefully to make sure you understand the project’s goals, coding standards, and contribution guidelines.
Investing time in reading the project’s mailing list threads, community forum discussions, and meeting minutes, and reviewing open and closed issues and pull requests in the project repository is important. By doing so, you can better understand the project’s context, goals, and challenges, and develop a sense of the community’s culture and values.
This knowledge can help you ask more informed and relevant questions when reaching out to the community, and increase your chances of getting a helpful and constructive response.

A language of their own

The open-source community can sometimes be overwhelming with its acronyms and technical terms. Newcomers might find it difficult to keep up with the jargon. However, there are ways to overcome this, such as taking the time to research and ask questions.

Start Small

When you’re first getting started with open source, it’s important to start small. Look for easy issues to fix or small features to add. This will help you get familiar with the project’s codebase and build your confidence as a contributor. As you become more experienced, you can take on more challenging tasks.

Collaborate with Others

Open source is all about collaboration. Feel free to reach out to other contributors for help or feedback. You can also collaborate with other contributors by reviewing their code, providing feedback, and testing their changes. This will help you build relationships with other contributors and improve your coding or other skills you bring to the community.
Contributing to an open-source project doesn’t require permission. Once you’ve done sufficient research and clearly understand where your skills can help the community, don’t hesitate to dive in and start contributing.

Asking for help

Getting help from other contributors is a critical aspect of contributing to open-source projects. Still, it’s essential to know how much help is appropriate to ask for. It’s okay to ask for assistance if you’ve genuinely tried to learn the material beforehand, such as reading the documentation or using the software. Try to limit your requests to project-specific issues and avoid seeking help for general mentoring in open-source or programming languages.
While seeking guidance on pull requests can be helpful, it’s essential to remember that there may be more effective approaches than simply asking someone to provide you with the exact code or wording to use. Instead, try to create your own content and seek feedback on improving your contribution. This way, you can work collaboratively with other contributors to achieve the project’s objectives and build strong relationships within the community.
Remember, the goal is to help the project and maintainers, so ensure that your requests contribute to their efforts and do not increase their workload. By following these guidelines, you can build strong relationships with other contributors while improving your coding skills.

Code Contributors

If you’re a technical contributor, there are some specific tools and technologies that you should be familiar with. Here are some of the key skills you’ll need to contribute to open source:

Programming Languages: Most open-source projects are written in one or more programming languages. You’ll need to be proficient in at least one language to contribute to a project. The specific language will depend on the project you choose.
Testing: Testing is a critical part of software development. You’ll need to be familiar with testing frameworks and tools to contribute to open source. This includes both unit testing and integration testing.

Non-Code Contributors

Even if you’re not a technical contributor, there are still many ways you can contribute to open source. Here are some of the key skills you’ll need:

Documentation: Most open-source projects have documentation that needs to be written and maintained. You can contribute by writing documentation, tutorials, or blog posts.
Design: If you’re a designer, you can contribute to open source by creating graphics, logos, or improving the website
Translation: Many open-source projects are used by people worldwide. If fluent in multiple languages, you can contribute by translating the project’s documentation or user interface.
The key is to find a project that aligns with your interests and skill level and to start small. Remember to read the documentation carefully and to collaborate with other contributors.

Understanding Git, Pull Requests, and Issues

For both technical and non-technical contributors, it’s crucial to understand Git, pull requests, and issues, even if you are not yet familiar with them. These tools are used in most open-source projects to manage contributions and track changes in the code and documents.

Git

Git is a version control system that allows you to track changes in your code, collaborate with others, and manage different versions of your project. You’ll need to be familiar with Git and tools like GitHub, GitLab, or BitBucket to contribute to open source. There are a lot of online guides available, ie. Learn Git with Bitbucket Cloud, Git Tutorial, Set up Git, and Contributing to projects - forking.

Issues

Issues are used to track bugs, feature requests, and other tasks in a project. When you find a bug or want to propose a new feature, you can create an issue in the project’s issue tracker. This allows you to collaborate with other contributors and track the progress of your task. Many open-source projects have “Good first issue” or “Help Wanted” labels attached to certain issues, which are suitable for new contributors or those looking to make their first contribution.

These issues are typically well-defined and relatively easy to implement. They can provide a great opportunity for contributors to get started with the project and learn the workflow. Look for these labels in the issue tracker and consider starting with them if you are new to the project or open source contribution in general.

Pull Requests

Pull requests are a way to propose changes to a project. When you submit a pull request, you ask the project maintainers to review your code or document changes and consider merging it into the main codebase.

To create a pull request, you’ll need to fork the project, make your changes, and then submit the pull request through the project’s website or Git hosting platform.
Code reviews are essential to the software development process as they help catch potential issues before they become problems. It’s important to remember that code reviews are not personal and should not be taken as criticism of the contributor. Instead, they allow contributors to learn from each other and improve their skills.
Code reviews can be especially beneficial for beginner contributors as they can learn from more experienced contributors about potential issues with their code and how to improve it. Code reviews are a valuable mechanism for learning and improving code quality. Code is about working together to produce the best code or documentation.
It’s important to remember that things take some time when it comes to code reviews. Asynchronous communication is the norm for code reviews, and it can take time for reviewers to provide feedback.
Additionally, factors outside the review process may impact response times, such as timezone differences, country-specific holidays, and team stress related to releases or deadlines. It’s not uncommon for contributors to become frustrated when they are unaware of these factors and feel that they are not being taken seriously.
However, it’s essential to maintain open communication and trust between contributors and reviewers, as this can help alleviate any misunderstandings and ensure that the review process remains productive and efficient.

Why do open-source projects look for new contributors, and why should I care to join?

Open-source projects always need new contributors because they rely on the community to continue growing and improving. By joining an open-source project, you can not only enhance your skills and knowledge but also contribute to something that has the potential to make a difference in the world.

InConclusion

Contributing to open source is a great way to improve your skills, learn new technologies, and give back to the community. Whether you’re a technical or non-technical contributor, there are many ways to get involved. Remember to start small, collaborate with other contributors, and always be respectful and courteous in your interactions with the community. Good luck on your journey!

What is Open Source Software?

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