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Finding Open-Source Projects

5 min read

Open-source projects are a great way to learn new skills, collaborate with other developers, and contribute to the larger tech community. However, finding the right project can be overwhelming. In this chapter, we’ll explore some ways to find open-source projects that align with your interests and expertise.

How to Find Open-Source Projects That Interest You

The first step in finding an open-source project is to identify your interests and skills. Consider the programming languages, frameworks, or tools that you’re most comfortable with and passionate about. This will help you narrow down your search and find projects that align with your expertise.

Another approach is to think about the types of problems or projects that interest you. For example, if you’re interested in machine learning, you can search for open-source projects related to that field. You can also explore different open-source platforms and communities to find projects that align with your interests.

Where to Look for Open-Source Projects

There are many open-source platforms and communities where you can find projects to contribute to. Some of the most popular platforms include GitHub, GitLab and SourceForge. These platforms have a large collection of open-source projects covering various programming languages, tools, and domains.

  • GitHub is the most popular platform for hosting open-source projects, with millions of projects available. You can explore projects by searching for keywords or browsing different categories.
  • GitLab is another popular platform, which offers a similar set of features as GitHub.
  • SourceForge is a platform that has been around for a long time and hosts a wide range of open-source projects.

How to Evaluate the Quality and Popularity of a Project

When evaluating an open-source project, you should consider several factors, including the project’s popularity, activity level, and quality. The popularity of a project can be measured by the number of stars, forks, and contributors it has. You can also look at the number of downloads, issues, and pull requests to get an idea of the project’s popularity and activity level.

The quality of an open-source project can be assessed by looking at the codebase, documentation, and community support. A well-maintained project will have clear documentation, an active community, and a high-quality codebase. You can also look at the project’s roadmap and development history to gauge its potential and longevity.

Finding the right open-source project can be a challenging task, but it’s worth the effort. By exploring different platforms, communities, and projects, you can find opportunities to learn new skills, collaborate with other developers, and contribute to the larger tech community.

Sometimes, You Don’t Need to Look That Far

Sometimes, you don’t need to look far to find an open-source project to contribute to. If you use a particular tool or software regularly and notice areas that could be improved or features that could be added, consider contributing to that project. As a user, you have a unique perspective and understanding of the software, which can be valuable to the project’s development.

Additionally, contributing to a project that you already use regularly can be a great way to learn new skills and gain experience in a familiar environment. So don’t be afraid to look at the tools and software you already use and consider contributing to their development.

Github Hidden “Contribute” Page

Although it’s not visible from the main interface or mentioned in the official documentation, every GitHub repository includes a hidden “Contribute” page. This page gathers issues that are suitable for new contributors, usually marked with the good first issue label, and provides a link to the repository’s contributing guidelines.

To access this page, simply append /contribute to the repository URL. For instance, the “Contribute” page for the Astro repository can be found at https://github.com/withastro/astro/contribute.

Aggregators and Curated Lists

If you still can’t find an open-source project that interests you, don’t worry, there are other resources available to help you find the perfect project. Aggregators and curated lists are great tools for discovering open-source projects based on different criteria, such as programming languages, domains, or difficulty level.

  • goodfirstissue.dev curates easy pickings from popular open-source projects and narrows down projects for new open-source contributors.

    The projects are added manually by the community via pull requests in the repository and must meet certain criteria such as having at least 3 issues labeled as good first issue , at least 10 contributors, a README.md with detailed setup instructions, and a CONTRIBUTING.md with guidelines for new contributors. The projects must also be maintained.

    You can filter projects by programming languages.

  • Up For Grabs is a list of projects which have curated tasks specifically for new contributors.

    They gather projects that actively want help and label some of their issues with known labels like up-for-grabs , good first issue , help wanted , etc.

    You can filter projects by programming languages, difficulty level, and more.

  • For Good First Issue is a list of open source projects on the Digital Public Goods (DPGs).

    The projects topics are related to fighting climate change, to solving world hunger, and more.

    You can filter projects by programming languages, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).