How to Start Contributing to Open Source Projects
Start by picking one project you already use, then make a small, non-code contribution first — fixing a typo in documentation, clarifying an error message, or reporting a reproducible bug. Open Source Guides (opensource.guide) is a free, GitHub-hosted collection of guides that walks first-timers through exactly this process, from finding a project to submitting your first pull request. It suits both newcomers and experienced contributors who want a structured reference.
What Open Source Guides Covers
The site is organized as a set of standalone guides rather than one linear course. The ones most relevant to getting started:
| Guide | What it helps you do |
|---|---|
| How to Contribute to Open Source | Find projects and make your first contribution |
| Starting an Open Source Project | Understand the ecosystem before you launch your own |
| Finding Users for Your Project | Grow adoption once something exists |
| Building Welcoming Communities | Encourage people to use and contribute |
| Best Practices for Maintainers | Document processes and lean on your community |
| Leadership and Governance | Set formal rules for decisions as a project grows |
| Getting Paid for Open Source Work | Find financial support for your time or project |
| Your Code of Conduct | Adopt and enforce healthy community behavior |
| Open Source Metrics | Track whether your project is thriving |
| The Legal Side of Open Source | Licensing, trademarks, and related questions |
| Accessibility Best Practices | Make a project usable by everyone, especially people with disabilities |
| Security Best Practices | MFA, code scanning, dependency management, private vulnerability reporting |
| Maintaining Balance for Open Source Maintainers | Self-care and avoiding burnout |
The site is available in many languages, including English, 简体中文, 繁體中文, 日本語, 한국어, Español, Français, Deutsch, Português, Русский, and others, so you can read the same guidance in your preferred language.
Step-by-Step: Your First Contribution
1. Choose a project you already use
The lowest-friction starting point is software you rely on daily. You already understand its purpose, and you'll notice real problems faster than in a random repository.
2. Read the contribution guidelines
Most projects include a CONTRIBUTING.md file or a "Contributing" section in the README. It tells you how maintainers want issues filed, how to run tests, and what they consider in scope. Skipping this is the most common reason first pull requests get closed.
3. Start small
Good first contributions include:
- Fixing a typo or unclear sentence in documentation
- Improving an error message
- Adding a test case for a bug you found
- Reporting a bug with clear reproduction steps
Documentation changes are often the fastest way to learn a project's review workflow without touching core logic.
4. Find an entry point
Look for labels like good first issue, help wanted, or documentation in the project's issue tracker. These are explicitly flagged as suitable for newcomers.
5. Make the change and open a pull request
Fork the repository, create a branch, make your edit, and open a pull request. In the description, explain what you changed and why. Expect review comments — they're normal and usually improve the contribution.
6. Respond to feedback
Maintainers may ask for changes. Revise on the same branch; the pull request updates automatically. If a maintainer declines, ask what would make it acceptable — the answer is often useful for your next attempt.
Common Sticking Points
- No response for days or weeks. Maintainers are often volunteers. Check the project's stated response expectations before assuming your contribution was ignored.
- Your pull request is closed without merging. This usually means it fell outside the project's scope or duplicated existing work — not that the effort was wasted.
- You can't run the project locally. Ask in the project's chat or issue tracker; setup friction is a legitimate question, and answers often improve the docs.
- You're unsure what to work on. The
good first issuelabel exists precisely for this.
A Low-Commitment Way to Try It
The site also points to opensourcefriday.com, which frames contributing as a small, recurring habit: "Invest a few hours contributing to the software you use and love." If a full pull request feels like too much at first, spending a few hours on a single small fix is a reasonable way to test whether contributing fits your schedule.
When This Approach Fits — and When It Doesn't
This path works well if you want to learn by doing on a real project and are comfortable with Git basics. If you have never used Git or opened a pull request, work through a Git tutorial first — the guides assume that foundation. If you want to contribute to a specific project rather than open source in general, go straight to that project's CONTRIBUTING.md and skip the general guides.