Guide changes · Open {re}Source

Choosing a License: Four Questions and a Table

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

MIT, Apache-2.0, GPL-3.0 or AGPL-3.0? Four questions pick the license, a table compares ten of them, and three places apply it. Plus what "or later" means, and changing it later.

Read the chapter

License Compatibility: What You Can Combine, and the Tools That Check

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Inbound and outbound licenses, depending versus copying, a compatibility matrix checked against the FSF and Apache, AGPL and SSPL, fonts and images, and the tools that read your dependencies.

Read the chapter

License Compliance at Work: The Policy, the Notices and the SBOM

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A license policy in three tiers, what distributing a product obliges you to do, the notices file, the scanners that build the inventory, and the SBOM.

Read the chapter

Licenses for Things That Aren't Code: Docs, Fonts, Hardware, Data and Models

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Creative Commons for docs and images, the OFL for fonts, CERN-OHL for hardware, ODbL and CC0 for data, and what "open" means for model weights. What to use, and what's open.

Read the chapter

Repository File Templates

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

README, CONTRIBUTING, SECURITY, GOVERNANCE, issue form, pull request template, changelog, CODEOWNERS and an archive notice, each with a Copy button.

Read the chapter

Security for Maintainers: Before, During and After the First Report

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A SECURITY.md, private reports, what to do when one arrives, advisories and CVEs, the CI settings that stop supply chain attacks, Scorecard, who can help, and the EU Cyber Resilience Act.

Read the chapter

Trademarks, Names and Logos: What Your License Doesn't Cover

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

An open-source license covers the code, not the name. What a trademark adds, what WordPress and Rust teach, and how to write, register and hold one.

Read the chapter

Vulnerabilities in What You Ship: Triage, Upstream Fixes and the CRA

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Why most dependency alerts don't matter, how KEV, EPSS and VEX sort them, why fixes go upstream, and what the EU Cyber Resilience Act asks of companies.

Read the chapter

Open Source Glossary

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The terms the guide uses, from upstream and copyleft to bus factor and DCO, each in one or two sentences with the chapter that explains it.

Read the chapter

Start Here

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Four reading paths through the guide, for first-timers, non-code contributors, new maintainers and founders, each a short list of chapters in order.

Read the chapter

Effective Fundraising Strategies

Mon, 05 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Donations, tiers with prices, crowdfunding, yearly deals with companies, paid extras and grants: how to ask for each, with real pages, prices and dates.

Read the chapter

What a Maintainer Actually Does

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Twelve weeks of Bootstrap in numbers, what the job is made of, the three ways to run a project, and what you're allowed to say no to.

Read the chapter

AI-Assisted Contributions: A Policy You Can Copy

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What curl, Gentoo, QEMU, Ghostty, LLVM and the Linux kernel decided about AI-generated contributions, the three postures, and a policy to paste.

Read the chapter

Brief History of Open Source

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Explore the history and evolution of open source from computing roots to its emergence as a philosophy changing software development. Discover its impact today!

Read the chapter

Building a Portfolio with Open-Source Contributions

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Boost your portfolio with open-source contributions. Showcase your skills, expertise and commitment. Learn how to highlight contributions effectively here.

Read the chapter

Burnout, Succession and the End of a Project

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Read your bus factor, recognize burnout, find a co-maintainer, hand a project over without an event-stream moment, and archive it cleanly when it's time.

Read the chapter

Choosing a Project Idea

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Select your ideal open-source project with ease. Learn to evaluate feasibility, impact and research existing projects. Make a positive impact with your skills!

Read the chapter

CLA or DCO: What You Sign When You Contribute

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Inbound equals outbound, the one-line DCO sign-off, and contributor license agreements. What each gives the project, what to check before you sign, and which to ask for.

Read the chapter

Community From Day One

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What to set up before the first user arrives, what to leave alone until there are ten, and how to treat the first stranger who sends a pull request.

Read the chapter

Contributing with AI Tools Without Annoying Maintainers

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

What maintainers check when your contribution came out of an AI tool, where their rules live, five checks before you push, and how to disclose it in one line.

Read the chapter

Creating Your Project

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Ready to bring your open-source project idea to life? Learn to create a project repository on GitHub or GitLab and start shaping your impact on the open source world.

Read the chapter

Definition of Open Source

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Explore the philosophy behind open source and how it enables collaborative, innovative development of tech, art, and knowledge. Learn how communities work together!

Read the chapter

Finding a Project to Contribute To

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Where to find a project to contribute to, from the tools you already use to issue searches, aggregators and yearly events, and how to pick the issue.

Read the chapter

Finding Open-Source Software to Use

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Where to find an open-source app, tool or library, and what to check before you rely on it, from the license to the security Scorecard.

Read the chapter

Getting Involved in the Open Source Community

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Join the collaborative open source community, build skills, make connections, and contribute to a cause. Learn to get involved, communicate, and participate in events. Join now!

Read the chapter

Git and GitHub Basics You Actually Need

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The three copies of a project, the setup you do once, and the Git commands a contributor uses, in order, with their real output and what to do when one fails.

Read the chapter

Governance: Who Decides, and How to Write It Down

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The governance models open-source projects use, with their real documents, a GOVERNANCE.md template, contributor ladders, RFCs, votes and vetoes, foundations, and what happens when the founder leaves.

Read the chapter

How to Write a Bug Report That Gets Fixed

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Search first, link a minimal reproduction, say what you expected and when it started, then stay around. Plus feature requests, and why security bugs never go in an issue.

Read the chapter

Importance and Challenges of Financing Open-Source Projects

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Explore the pivotal role of financing in open source. Learn how sustainable funding fosters innovation, community growth, and project longevity.

Read the chapter

Introduction to Project Promotion

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Discover project promotion's essence: vibrant community, compelling identities, optimized digital homes, and social media potential. Journey beyond metrics to the heart of community impact.

Read the chapter

Managing Project Dependencies

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Learn how to manage project dependencies effectively. Discover best practices for dependency management, versioning, and security to ensure your open-source project remains stable and secure.

Read the chapter

Non-Code Contributions Maintainers Actually Want

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Docs, triage, translation, accessibility, testing, answers, writing and money. A first task under an hour for each, where to find one, and a real contribution that landed.

Read the chapter

Open Source Etiquette: Talking to Strangers Who Owe You Nothing

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

How to ask, wait, disagree and thank in issues, pull requests and chats, with a message not to send and a better one for each rule, and what to do when someone crosses the line.

Read the chapter

Overcoming Challenges in Open-Source Contributions

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Overcome common challenges in open-source contribution and maintain work/open source/life balance. Learn to tackle imposter syndrome, burnout and communication barriers. Start contributing sustainably today!

Read the chapter

Planning Your Project

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The minimum planning an open-source project needs, and when each piece becomes worth it. The problem, the non-goals, milestones, who decides, how to say no.

Read the chapter

Reading a Repository in Five Minutes

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The signals that tell you, in five minutes, whether anyone maintains a project, answers strangers and merges their work. Stars aren't one of them.

Read the chapter

Relicensing: The Source-Available Wave, and the Forks That Answered

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

MongoDB, Elastic, HashiCorp, Redis and others left open source between 2018 and 2025. The timeline, the licenses they moved to, the forks, and what it means for you.

Read the chapter

Reviewing Pull Requests: What to Check, What to Say, When to Close

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A ten-second triage before the diff, a review checklist, labels that say what's blocking, words that keep people contributing, closing kindly, and merging so the history tells the story.

Read the chapter

Running a Community Without It Running You

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Who is in your community, which two channels to open, how to bring contributors back, how to credit them, a rhythm you can keep, and what to do in a conflict.

Read the chapter

Saying No: Five Replies That Keep Contributors Coming Back

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Why no is the default answer to a feature request, how to write your non-goals down, and five saved replies for the five kinds of no, with real examples.

Read the chapter

Source Code Hosting Platforms: GitHub and the Alternatives

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg, sourcehut and the older ones. Who uses each, what changes when you contribute there, and which one to pick for your own project.

Read the chapter

Ten Successful Projects and What to Steal From Them

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Linux, curl, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Blender, Godot, VS Code, Astro and Bootstrap. What success means for each, and one thing to copy.

Read the chapter

The Files That Turn a Repository Into a Project

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, code of conduct, SECURITY, FUNDING.yml, CHANGELOG, templates and CODEOWNERS, each with the smallest version that works.

Read the chapter

The Many Shapes of Open Source

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Software, hardware, data, content, science, education, government and standards. The map of what open source ships, with a real project in each box.

Read the chapter

The Significance of Open Source

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Discover the profound impact of open source beyond code. Explore how it empowers innovation, fosters collaboration, and drives positive change in society.

Read the chapter

Understanding Funding Models

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Discover funding models for open-source projects: grants, sponsorships, donations, crowdfunding, and more!

Read the chapter

Your First Contribution, Step by Step

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

One real first contribution to Bootstrap, from the issue to the merge, with every screen and command you'll see, and what to do when something goes wrong.

Read the chapter

Building a Strong Project Identity

Mon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Master the art of open source success! Dive into a comprehensive guide covering identity, branding, community, social media, events, and valuable resources. Elevate your project now!

Read the chapter

Every Checklist in the Guide

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

The "Do this now" checklist of every chapter, on one page, by module. Tick a box here and it's ticked in the chapter too.

Read the chapter

Benefits of Open Source

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Explore the benefits of open source: transparency, reliability, and collaboration. Dive into a world shaping software and beyond.

Read the chapter