The Beginner’s Guide to Open Source, Part 1: How to Start Contributing to Open Source Projects
Blog post from New Relic
Part one of a four-part series explores how developers can start contributing to open source projects, emphasizing that contributions can come from individuals with varying skill levels. Many developers use open source tools like Ruby, Python, and React but hesitate to contribute due to the complexity of projects. The series encourages developers to begin by supporting projects they use regularly and provides practical ways to contribute, such as reporting bugs, writing documentation, attending virtual meetups, blogging about solutions, and engaging with community forums. It highlights the importance of thorough bug documentation and suggests starting with issues labeled for new contributors. The article also stresses the social benefits of contributing, noting that writing documentation and participating in meetups can help developers integrate into project communities. Overall, it underscores the reciprocal benefits of contributing to open source projects, both in terms of improving software and developing personal skills, while maintaining that enjoying the process is key to continued involvement.