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Let's Do First Opensource Project

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First Opensource Project

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First Open Source Project – Making Your First Contribution

Introduction

Welcome to your first open source contribution! In this tutorial, you will learn how to contribute to an open source project directly through GitHub's web interface—no command line required! This is perfect for beginners who want to start contributing to open source projects.

What is Open Source?

Open source software is code that is freely available for anyone to view, use, modify and distribute. Contributing to open source projects helps you:

Learn from real-world code
Build your portfolio
Connect with the developer community
Improve your coding skills
Give back to projects you use

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

A GitHub account (create one at github.com)
Basic understanding of Git and GitHub concepts.
Willingness to learn and contribute!

The Contribution Workflow

The typical open source contribution workflow involves:

Fork the repository
Edit the files
Commit your changes
Create a pull request
Wait for review and feedback

Let's walk through each step!

Step 1: Find the Repository

Navigate to the practice repository: https://github.com/sanjay-kv/Open-source-Practice

This is a beginner-friendly repository designed for practicing open source contributions.

Step 1: Repository Home Page

Take a moment to:

Read the README file to understand the project
Check if there are contribution guidelines (CONTRIBUTING.md)
Look at existing issues or pull requests
Understand what kind of contributions are welcomed

Step 2: Fork the Repository

Forking creates your own copy of the repository where you can make changes without affecting the original project.

Click the Fork button in the top-right corner of the repository page
Select your account as the destination
Wait for GitHub to create your fork

Step 2: Forking the Repository

Step 3: Fork Button Location

Once the fork is complete, you'll see:

Your username in the repository name
A note saying "forked from [original-repo]"

Step 4: Fork Complete

Step 3: Edit files directly on GitHub

One of the great features of GitHub is the ability to edit files directly in your browser without cloning the repository to your computer.

Finding the File to Edit

Navigate to the file you want to edit (usually specified in the project's README)
Click on the file name to view it
Click the pencil icon (✏️) in the top-right corner to edit

Making Your Changes

For this practice repository, you'll typically add your name to a contributors list:

Step 5: Add Your Name

Common first contributions include:

Adding your name to a contributors list
Fixing a typo in documentation
Updating outdated information
Adding a translation
Improving README formatting

Step 6: Changes Made

:::tip Best Practices for Making Changes

Keep changes small and focused - Don't try to fix multiple things at once
Follow the project's style - Match the formatting and conventions used
Test your changes - Make sure links work and formatting is correct
Read contribution guidelines - Many projects have specific requirements
Be respectful - Remember real people maintain these projects

:::

Step 4: Commit your changes

After making your edits, you need to commit them. A commit is like saving a snapshot of your changes with a description.

Writing a good commit message

Scroll down to the "Commit changes" section
Write a clear, concise commit message describing what you changed
Optionally add a longer description if needed
Select "Commit directly to the main branch" for simple changes
Click Commit changes

Step 7: Commit Changes

Good commit message examples:

✅ "Add John Doe to contributors list"
✅ "Fix typo in installation instructions"
✅ "Update Python version requirement"

Poor commit message examples:

❌ "Update"
❌ "Changes"
❌ "asdfasdf"

Step 8: Final Commit Review

Step 5: Create a Pull Request

Now that you've made changes in your fork, it's time to propose those changes to the original repository through a Pull Request (PR).

What is a Pull Request?

A Pull Request is a way to propose changes to a repository. It allows:

Project maintainers to review your changes
Discussion about the proposed modifications
Automated tests to run on your code
Iterative improvements before merging

Steps to Create a Pull Request

Navigate to the original repository (not your fork)
Click on the Pull Requests tab
Click the green New pull request button
Click Compare across forks
Select your fork and branch from the dropdowns
- Base repository: The original project
- Head repository: Your fork
- Base branch: Usually main or master
- Compare branch: Your branch with changes
Review the changes shown in the diff
Click Create pull request
Add a descriptive title and detailed description
Click Create pull request again to submit

Step 9: Create Pull Request

Writing a Good Pull Request Description

Your PR description should include:

What changes you made
Why you made them
How to test the changes (if applicable)
Screenshots (if it's a visual change)
Related issues (if fixing a bug or implementing a feature)

Example PR description:

## Description
Added my name to the contributors list as per the contribution guidelines.

## Changes Made
- Added "John Doe" to CONTRIBUTORS.md
- Maintained alphabetical ordering

## Checklist
- [x] Followed the project's style guidelines
- [x] Checked for typos
- [x] Read the contribution guidelines

Understanding "Compare Across Forks"

The Compare across forks feature is crucial for creating pull requests from your fork to the original repository.

What Does It Do?

This feature allows you to compare changes between:

Your forked repository (where you made changes)
The original repository (where you want to contribute)

Why Is It Important?

The comparison view shows:

All commits you've made since forking
File changes in a diff format
Additions highlighted in green
Deletions highlighted in red
Conflict warnings if there are any

How to Use It Effectively

Select the correct branches:
- Base: Original repository's main branch
- Compare: Your fork's branch with changes
Review the diff carefully:
- Ensure only intended changes are included
- Check for accidental modifications
- Verify formatting is correct
Look for conflicts:
- Red warnings indicate merge conflicts
- Update your fork if needed
- Resolve conflicts before creating PR

Benefits of Comparing

Prevents mistakes - Catch unintended changes early
Improves quality - Review your work before submission
Reduces conflicts - Identify issues before they become problems
Saves time - Avoid back-and-forth with maintainers
Shows professionalism - Demonstrates attention to detail

:::warning Important Notes

Always check the diff before creating a PR
Make sure you're comparing the right branches
If you see unexpected changes, fix them before submitting
Keep your fork updated to avoid conflicts

:::

Step 6: Wait for Review

After creating your pull request:

Wait patiently - Maintainers review PRs on their schedule
Respond to feedback - Be open to suggestions and changes
Make requested changes - Update your PR based on feedback
Stay professional - Be courteous and respectful

Watch This Video Tutorial

For a visual walkthrough of the entire process, watch this helpful video:

Finding Projects to Contribute To

Beginner-Friendly Resources

Good First Issue labels on GitHub
First Timers Only
Up For Grabs
Good First Issues
CodeTriage

Types of Contributions

You don't have to write code to contribute:

📝 Documentation - Fix typos, improve clarity, add examples
🌐 Translation - Translate docs or UI to other languages
🐛 Bug Reports - Report issues you encounter
💡 Feature Suggestions - Propose new features
🎨 Design - Improve UI/UX
✅ Testing - Test new features and report results
📊 Data - Add datasets or examples
❓ Support - Help answer questions in issues

Conclusion

Congratulations! You've learned how to make your first open source contribution using only GitHub's web interface. You now know how to:

✅ Fork a repository
✅ Edit files directly on GitHub
✅ Commit changes with meaningful messages
✅ Compare changes across forks
✅ Create pull requests

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