My First Open Source PR: Tiny Fix, Big Learning

I recently made my first pull request to an open source project on GitHub — Credebl/platform. I was super nervous in the beginning and had zero clue if I was doing things the right way. But I knew I had to start somewhere.

Before my first contribution, I spent time exploring open source projects and searching for good first issues. But most of the time, the code felt way too complex, and even the beginner-friendly issues didn’t make much sense. It felt overwhelming and I’d step back thinking maybe it’s not for me — at least not yet.

A few days back I found Credebl/platform project. I picked a small issue — trimming the proofId before it goes for verification. It sounded simple…. that’s exactly why I choose it. The idea was to just take action instead of overthinking.

While working on it:

• I messed up branches a few times.

• I used git add in the wrong branch.

• There were few unnecessary commits.

• I didn’t even know about DCO (Developer Certificate of Origin) — which later showed up as a check failure.

But the good part I learned all this while doing it. And the maintainer reassured that commit history won’t be an issue as long as we have the required fixes.

One important thing to remember is that maintainers are actually super helpful. I used to feel like I had to figure everything on my own, but that’s not true at all. If you ask for help clearly and respectfully, most maintainers are more than happy to guide you. The whole point of open source is to learn and grow.

What I learned:

• Start small, even if it feels silly.

• Ask for help when struck.

• Mistakes are part of the process (not proof that you’re bad at it).

• The community is usually helpful and kind.

If you’re also nervous about making your first contribution — don’t overthink. Just pick one issue and get into it. You’ll figure things along the way, just like I did.

Project’s link:

https://github.com/credebl/platform.git