Tools
Intro to Open Source
Start your open source journey here
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Beginner
Overview
Everything you need to know to understand the origins of open source work, how to become a contributor, a maintainer or a sponsor of an open source project and how to propel open source work into a career. Start with the basics including intro guides, how to find good first issues and basic open source vocabulary. Then begin to explore some of the best tools and thought leadership that will help you discover new ways of contributing.
How to use the resources in this Experience
Resources below are outlined in the order we think will be most helpful. Start with the OpenSauced Intro to Open Source course, then explore additional resources from there including
- Content created by the GitHub DevRel team including Open Source Vocab videos, Open Source Guides and helpful articles on Dev.to
- Discover how to find Good First Issues
- Explore what it means to build communities through open source
- Gain inspiration from the ReadME Podcast, where we take a look behind the scenes of the most impactful open source projects and the developers who make them happen
- Finally, explore Student Developer Pack partners that can assist in building and contributing to open source projects.
Related resources
Intro to Open Source course
This course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge you need to contribute to open source projects. It offers engaging exercises to help you begin your journey towards becoming a successful contributor, and even provides an opportunity to get your first pull request merged.
Becoming a Maintainer course
This course is designed to provide you with an introduction to how to become an open source maintainer and guide you through the process of creating your open source project, working with contributors, and more.
Why Open Source?
In this video by OpenSauced, you'll learn why you should even consider contributing to open source projects and how they can contribute to your career development goals.
Open Source Guides
Open source software is made by people just like you. Learn how to launch and grow your project with guides that cover how to start, maintain and manage open source projects, as well as how to connect to other open source creators.
Good First Issue
Lend your skills to an open source project focused on the Digital Public Goods (DPGs). From fighting climate change, to solving world hunger, your efforts will contribute to creating a better future for everyone.
DevRel approved open source articles
GitHub's very own DevRel @MishManners' curated series on all things open source.
Introduction to Open Source Vocabulary Part 1
Using the example of collaboration on apple pie recipes, we explain some of the foundational terms associated with open source and the GitHub workflow. We explain terms like repository, pull requests, merging a pull request, forking, branching, and contributors. Part 1 of 2.
Introduction to Open Source Vocabulary Part 2
Part 2 of 2 Explaining some of the foundational terms associated with open source and the GitHub workflow.
Building Communities
Brought to you by the GitHub Docs team, learn best practices for moderating and setting up collaborative, safe, and effective communities using GitHub’s community-tested tools.
Open Source Friday
Open source is made by people just like you. This Friday, invest a few hours contributing to the software you use and love.
The ReadME Podcast
On The ReadME Podcast, we take a look behind the scenes of the most impactful open source projects and the developers who make them happen. In sharing these stories, we hope to provide a spotlight on what you don’t always see in the lines of code, and what it takes to build the technology that inspires us all.
Benefits
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