From using Open Source Software to Contributing to it

Introduction

Do you know you can access the code of the software, fix some bugs, modify it and use it for free? But at the same time, you also know many people/organizations are paying lakhs/crores for software. If you wonder how is this possible for free as I mentioned in the first sentence? This is all possible due to open-source software. Yes, you heard it right you can do all of this stuff with open-source software. Let, I make you aware that you have been using open-source software since your childhood.

We all love watching videos/movies. To play such videos/movies we have been using a famous software called VLC media player since our childhood which is one of the most popular open-source software out there.

There is countless open-source software that we are using but we are just unaware of them just like VLC media player. Such software is React, Kubernetes, Mozilla Firefox and the list goes on.

Do you want to go through the code of such amazing software and fix some issues/bugs? If so then you are just one step away from doing this activity and doing such an activity is known as an open-source contribution.

Get to know if you are eligible or not to contribute

One of the beauties of open-source software is that every human on this planet is eligible to contribute to any of the open-source software.

At this point, you know that you are eligible for the contribution. But to do so you need to have some basic prerequisites.

Prerequisites:

• You need to have a laptop/computer. If not you can have your smartphone as well but it's always better to have a laptop/computer.

• Basic knowledge of programming language. But it's not mandatory you can still contribute to the non-code part.

• Internet connection

• Passion

Now, If you have all of these then let's break down all the steps for your first contribution.

Step 1: Learning Git and GitHub

• Download and install Git

• Create an account for both Git and GitHub.

Git - It is a version control system that is used to manage source code and other files. It allows developers to track changes to their code, collaborate with others, and easily revert to previous versions if necessary.

GitHub - It is a web-based platform that provides a hosting service for Git repositories. GitHub allows developers to store their Git repositories online, collaborate with other developers, and share their code with the broader community.

You can learn both Git and GitHub through documentation or video tutorials. For beginners, I recommend going with video tutorials.

As a beginner, you can follow this tutorial-

Step 2: Finding Open-Source Software

Now, It's time to find open-source software to which you can contribute. There is much open-source software to which you can contribute. Here I am going to list some platforms where you can find open-source software.

• GitHub

  At this time you already know what GitHub is and you can also find open-source software/projects in GitHub to which you can contribute.

  • Go to https://github.com/explore here you can find many open-source software/projects.

• Good First Issue

  This is also a platform where you can find many open-source software/projects. You can check this out here - https://goodfirstissue.dev/

As you explore more you will find more and more such open-source software to which you can contribute.

Step 3: Contribute to the open-source software of your choice.

After, finding the open-source software you can easily contribute to it. Here are the steps:

• Go to the GitHub page of that open-source software

• Go to the issue section

  

  You can find many issues there. But I suggest looking for a good first issue. Click on "we've collected some good first issues for you" to find some good first issues.

  

  Remember, always ask to get assigned, discuss the issue with a community member, never violate the code of conduct and be kind and polite to everyone. This is how all open-source software operates. Everyone in this community is very helpful, kind and polite to each other.

  • Now, fork the repository

    After forking the repository you can work on the issue you have found. At last, after solving the issue you have to make the pull request.

    Have a coffee till your pull request is reviewed by the community members and merged.

    (I know I have used some technical terms here but I believe you are able to understand it if you followed step 1 properly.)

Congratulation on your first contribution to open-source software.

Conclusion

This is how you can contribute to open-source software. Also, don't forget to join the socials of the open-source software community. There you can find many opportunities.

I believe after this you can contribute to open-source software and learn and grow with the community.

Thanks for reading.