Contributing to Open Source - Getting Started and Finding Inspiration

 You wake up in the morning and think: “Today, I want to contribute to an Open Source project!” But where do you start? Whether you’re a newbie with limited experience making her first steps in the world of GitHub, or a seasoned developer seeking inspiration - choosing the Open Source project to contribute to is no easy task. To help you ease the process, I’ve collected a few links and resources to arm you with all you need to go to bed today having made a GitHub contribution.

Hello World - First Timer Contributions

If you’re an experienced contributor looking for new opportunities, skip this section and go right to the next - “Help Wanted”.

My personal journey on GitHub started very recently. I am not a developer. As a marketer and content writer, to me PR means public relations, and issues is what developers have with me when I go on and on about the importance or my kind of PR.

Making your first contribution can be scary, especially if you have little experience as a developers. It gets even worse for graphic artists, marketers, thinkers and copywriters. This is why multiple initiatives have popped up around the Open Source ecosystem aiming to do just that: make your first time painless and memorable.

First Timers Only

This wonderful website is a MUST for anyone and everyone looking to contribute to opensource for the first time. It includes links to a hands on tutorials for first time GitHub contributors, resources and even emphasizes the importance of the contributors Code of Conduct to ensure a pleasant collaborative environment for all.

Up For Grabs

A similar initiative to First Timers Only that encourages projects to get newbies contributing. To get the projects tagged for beginners, simply use those tags in the search.

Libraries.io - First Pull Request

Libraries.io is a great tool for exploring available projects looking for help. For beginners, there’s plenty to choose from under the “first-pull-request” tag. Be sure to narrow your search to get a more customized selection suited for your skills.

Help Wanted - Go Where You Are Needed

In addition to a multitude of website indexing GitHub issues, experienced contributors can discover cool projects elsewhere as well.

Dev.to Forums

A great place to talk development, this website offers daily threads for project owners looking for open source contributors for their project. Be sure to check the latest.

Libraries.io

Previously mentioned, this particularly useful index includes a “help-wanted” feed that’s easy to browse.

Reddit

There are quite a few useful subreddit for open source contributors like /r/coolgithubprojects/, where you can find plenty of inspiration.

Got Git?

This is a very short list of resources, but that’s what the comment section is for. Share your favorite tools and resources for finding open source projects to contribute to!

(Source: XKCD, duh)

Thank yous and notes: Endless gratitude to @espoem , who patiently let me bounce ideas off him while planning this post. He’s brilliant. I’ve told him in person and now it’s on the blockchain too.
My apologies to my followers. No, I am not dead or sick, just working hard typing content for Utopian instead so my personal blog suffers terribly. I beg your forgiveness.