I'm a junior developer and I'm really interested in getting involved in open source contributions. How do I go about finding projects to contribute to? Do I just search GitHub for projects in the language or stack I'm using? Also, if I take some legacy code and refactor it into a modern stack, would that count as contributing?
3 Answers
The best way to get involved is to familiarize yourself with a project or library you use. If you notice a bug or see that it lacks a feature, that’s your cue! Just make sure to discuss larger changes first before diving in too deep.
Don’t dive into a refactor for an open source project without consulting the maintainers first. They can have specific plans you might not know about. It’s crucial to understand the software ecosystem before making changes. Think about what value your changes will bring and who's going to maintain that code afterward. Also, remember to consider testing and documentation!
When it comes to contributing to open source, you don’t just pick random projects. Choose projects that you actually use and feel attached to. Look for issues you can fix or areas for improvement. There’s a great FAQ out there that explains the process clearly, so definitely check that out!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll make sure to look at that FAQ first. It’s helpful to know I should focus on projects I'm invested in.
I get it now! It’s not just about fixing or improving things, but also communicating with the maintainers before starting. I appreciate the guidance.