Greetings, everyone. Hacktoberfest, a global event that promotes contributions to open-source projects, provides a unique opportunity for developers worldwide to engage with open-source communities. As this is my first time participating in Hacktoberfest, I decided to begin with smaller contributions to familiarize myself with open-source workflows before tackling more complex issues.

Challenges in Finding Suitable Repositories

During October, we are required to contribute to four different repositories, each with its own set of issues, by submitting four pull requests. Initially, I found it challenging to locate repositories that matched my skill set and interests. The process of sifting through various issues across numerous repositories was overwhelming and took several days of exploration and filtering.

Key Learnings from Working on Open-Source Projects

For developers new to open-source contributions, including myself, here are a few practical tips that can help streamline the process:

• Utilize GitHub's Search and Filter Tools:
  With thousands of repositories available, finding one that suits your expertise can be daunting. Using GitHub's advanced search and filtering features can significantly narrow down repositories by technology, issue labels, or activity level.

• Select Repositories that Align with Your Technical Stack:
  Focusing on repositories that use technologies you're familiar with can reduce the learning curve. However, if you're looking to expand your knowledge, contributing to projects outside of your comfort zone can provide valuable learning opportunities.

• Evaluate Repository Activity Before Committing:
  It's essential to assess the activity level of a project before investing time. Some projects may no longer be maintained, resulting in long delays for pull requests to be reviewed and merged. Key indicators to evaluate include:

  • The contributors' activity and whether they are actively maintaining the project.
  • The last merged pull request and the date of the latest issues. If these are outdated, it's best to avoid that repository as your contributions might go unnoticed.

My First Pull Requests (PRs)

Several of my initial PRs involved relatively small tasks, such as documentation updates, which I considered as "introductory" contributions. Although these were not highly technical, they provided me with an opportunity to familiarize myself with the process. Moving forward, I plan to focus on more technically demanding issues that will challenge and enhance my coding skills.

Contributions This Week

Issues:

• GradLink
• ChatCraft
• PolyShare

PRs:

• GradLink
• ChatCraft
• PolyShare