Contributing to Open Source: How to get started

If you are looking to know about OPEN SOURCE and how to get started, here are the answers. So lets get started🤓

Firstly, What is open source?

It is a way of software development where the source code is publicly accessible — anyone can see, modify, and distribute the code as they see fit. Open source software is developed in a decentralized and collaborative way, relying on peer review and community production.

Why Open Source?

There are lots of reasons why people choose open source. Here are a few of them:

1. Live Projects: You get a chance to work on live projects to boost your profile.
2. Friendly Culture: Open source culture is more than just reusing free code on GitHub to get products to market faster. Collaborating on community projects is a way of thinking associated with open source development.
3. No process of selection: There is no process of selection. Anybody with a zeal to contribute can do so.
4. Mentor Support: You get a constant support from your mentor. Reach out to him/her whenever struck and need guidance.
5. No work pressure: Open source is not about competitions. Work accordingly as per your time and interests.
6. Amazing Tech Stacks: Explore some amazing technologies of today. Because of its emphasis on modification, you can use open source code to address problems that are unique to your business or community. You aren’t locked in to using the code in any one specific way, and you can rely on community help and peer review when you implement new solutions.
7. Collaboration: The existence of active open source communities means that you can find help, resources, and perspectives that reach beyond one interest group or one company.
8. Increased Interaction Cycles: You get exposed to an amazing community which consist of some amazing people. Use the opportunity to network, interact and learn from them. Collaborate with them and work together.
9. Peer Review: Because the source code is freely accessible and the open source community is very active, open source code is actively checked and improved upon by peer programmers. Think of it as living code, rather than code that is closed and becomes stagnant.

Prerequisites for Contributing

There is no prerequisites to get started with Contributing in Open Source. You just need:

1. Determination
2. Helping Attitude
3. Polite Nature
4. Consistency
5. Perseverance
6. A GitHub account
7. Git installed in your system

How to select projects

1. Explore your own interests
2. Choose the skills you are keen to gain and Tech which attracts you.

Finding a Beginner Friendly Issues

Explore issues labeled with good-first-issue, first-timers-only, beginner-friendly, beginner or level-0 .

Some Beginner-Friendly projects link:-

First-timers-only: https://www.firsttimersonly.com/

Code-Triage: https://www.codetriage.com/

Open-Source Friday: https://opensourcefriday.com/

What next?

Now you are ready to go. Just 4 more steps required to give a kickstart to your open source journey:

1. Join the public channel of the project and connect with your peers.
2. Set-up the projects locally and use it.
3. Go through the codebase and find the issue according to your knowledge.
4. Solve the issue ,make a pull request and then wait for the project admin to review and merge it.

Making your first pull request

After you have selected the project that you want to contribute in. Follow these steps:

Step 1 : Fork the Project

Fork the Repository. This will create a Local Copy of this Repository on your GitHub Profile. Click on the Fork button on the upper right part of the webpage.

Step 2: Clone the repository

Cloning is to make a local copy of project in your machine. Click on the Clone button on the upper right part of the webpage and copy the URL. Open Git Bash and Run the following command:

git clone 'URL-you-just-copied’.

Now a local repository has been created in your computer with the same name as the remote repository.

Step 3: Create a branch

Now you should do all the changes on a newly created branch and not on the Main Branch. So, create and switch to new branch by executing:

git checkout -b <new-branch-name>

Step 3: Make necessary changes

Open the local repository directory and make the desired changes. Use the following command to commit your changes:

git commit -m ‘A-brief-commit-message'.

Step 4: Push the changes to GitHub

Push the modifications you have made in the local repository to the remote repository on your GitHub. Use:
git push origin <branch-name>.

Step 5: Create a pull request

Go to your GitHub page and move to the required branch.

Click on Compare and then click Create pull request button.

Now you have successfully sent a pull request to the project maintainer. As soon as it is reviewed and accepted ,the changes will be added in the project.

Programs Involved in Open Source

There are a lot of programs that are involved in Open source. However, you need not wait for these programs to start your contribution. Contributions are what make the open source community such an amazing place to be learn, inspire, and create. Any contributions in any open source project is greatly appreciated. Lets take a look at some of the programs:

1. GirlScript Summer of Code: GirlScript Summer of Code is the 3 month long Open Source program during summers conducted by GirlScript Foundation, with an aim to help beginners get started with Open Source Development while encouraging diversity. Throughout the program, participants contribute to different projects under guidance of experienced mentors.
2. Rails Girls Summer of code: Rails Girls Summer of Code is a global fellowship program for women and non-binary coders. Students receive a three-month scholarship to work on existing Open Source projects and expand their skill set.
3. OUTREACHY: Outreachy is a program that organizes three-month paid internships with free and open-source software projects for people who are typically underrepresented in those projects. .It is open to cisgender and transgender women, people of other gender identities that are minorities in open source.
4. Hacktoberfest: Hacktoberfest is a month-long celebration of open source software run by DigitalOcean in partnership with GitHub and Twilio. Hacktoberfest is open to everyone in the global community!. It is a program to celebrate Open Source culture.
5. Google Summer of Code: Google Summer of Code is a global program focused on bringing more student developers into open source software development. Students work with an open source organization on a 10 week programming project during their break from school.
6. MLH Fellowship: The MLH Fellowship is a 12-week internship alternative for aspiring software engineers. Our programs pair fun, educational curriculum with practical experience that you can put on your resume right away. It’s collaborative, remote, and happens under the guidance of expert mentors.

So, now you are good to go. Just remember “Open Source is more than just code ,it’s about community”.

Happy contributing :)

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