Contributing to open source projects: a beginner's guide

But if you've never contributed to an open-source project before, you might not know what’s expected of you. That's why, in this article, we’ll explain what you can do as a beginner contributor to open source projects. The good news? You don’t even need to know how to write code.

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Examples of contributing to open source projects

If you’re unsure whether your coding skills are good enough to contribute to an open source project, don’t worry, you’re not alone in this. Many new and even experienced programmers have this concern, and that’s a shame. You can never know everything, and you shouldn’t try to. The beauty of contributing to open source projects is that you will learn a lot along the way.

Sometimes, you just need to dive in and take the leap. Often, unknown things that seem intimidating at first turn out to be more manageable than expected. The same will likely be the case when contributing to an open source project

There are many ways you can contribute to an open-source project. Below are a few examples:

1. Improving documentation

A great way to start contributing to open-source projects is by improving the documentation. This is often a nice first step for a lot of people. For instance, did you face challenges when trying to figure out how to use a software tool? If you’ve had to figure something out because the proper documentation was missing, it’s a great opportunity to improve the documentation and help both developers and other users.

In many software projects, documentation is stored in the same repository as the code. For example, GitLab keeps all documentation in the “doc” directory of a project. If you can’t find the documentation in the repository, check the project’s website for documentation, such as GitLab’s docs.gitlab.com.

2. Working on issues

Another option is to contribute by working on issues. You could start by writing bug reports for problems you face/encounter while using the software. Once you feel comfortable, you could move on to triaging issues. Triage means making the first assessment of the urgency of an issue.​​​​​​

Triage works in this way: choose an existing issue and try to reproduce it on your system. If you succeed, write out step-by-step instructions on what happens and add them as a comment on the issue. This will help the developer later in resolving the bug. If you can’t reproduce the issue, ask the issue owner for more information.

3. Fixing bugs and working on new feature

If you can code, you can also contribute by fixing bugs and building new features. Maybe you’ve faced a bug yourself while using the software? You can contribute by helping to create a fix for that bug and experience the satisfaction of creating a solution for a problem you’ve faced.

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Guidelines for contributions to open source projects

Many open-source projects have their own "contribution guidelines." As a contributor, you’re expected to follow these guidelines. They are in place to make the process easier for everyone. This way, admins don’t have to keep asking for changes to how the code is written. By following these guidelines, you’ll increase the chances that your contributions get accepted.

It’s important to carefully review the contribution guidelines, especially if you’re fixing bugs or working on new features. The contribution guidelines are often found in the project’s repository, usually in a CONTRIBUTING.md file. To make finding these guides easier, GitLab automatically adds a link to the "Contribution guide" on the project homepage if there’s a CONTRIBUTING.md file in the repository.

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Contribute to GitLab

GitLab is an example of a large open source project where everyone is welcome to contribute. If you want to experience how it feels to contribute to such a big project, you’re free to participate in GitLab through one of the activities mentioned above.

Many people find contributing to open source projects a fun and educational experience. Our advice, especially if it’s your first time: start small. You will see that with each step, you gain more confidence and take on bigger challenges.

Good luck, and have fun!