How It Started
My open-source journey began in December 2020, during my first year at IIIT Lucknow. Like many developers, I wanted to contribute but felt intimidated. Where do I start? What if my code isn't good enough? What if I break something?
Then I discovered that open source isn't just about writing code - it's about making things better, one small improvement at a time.
Internet Archive: Improving Community Workflows
My first significant contribution was to the Internet Archive, the non-profit digital library that's preserving the internet's history. I noticed their contributor onboarding process could be smoother and their internal workflows had some friction points.
The Contribution
I worked on:
1. Streamlining the Development Environment
Created Docker configurations that got new contributors up and running in minutes instead of hours.
2. Documentation Overhaul
Rewrote the contributor guide with step-by-step setup instructions, architecture diagrams, common troubleshooting solutions, and video walkthroughs.
3. CI/CD Pipeline Improvements
Enhanced the GitHub Actions workflow to provide faster feedback to contributors.
Impact
After these improvements:
- 3x increase in new contributor retention
- 60% reduction in "setup help" issues
- Faster PR reviews thanks to automated checks
AnyWrite: Elevating the User Experience
AnyWrite is a collaborative writing platform that emphasizes privacy and simplicity. I focused on UX improvements including responsive design enhancements, accessibility improvements, and performance optimization.
CircuitVerse: Enhancing the Learning Platform
CircuitVerse is an educational platform for designing and simulating digital circuits. I tackled bugs and added features to improve the simulation experience, including fixing race conditions in the simulation engine and improving the main codebase.
HacktoberFest 2022: From Contributor to Maintainer
In 2021, I participated in HacktoberFest as a contributor. In 2022, I helped maintain the event itself - a meta experience that taught me about the other side of open source.
My Role
As a maintainer, I created contributor guidelines, reviewed and assessed 100+ PRs, and mentored new contributors through virtual office hours.
Impact
Our project had:
- 200+ contributions during October
- 4.2/5 average contribution quality (vs. 3.1 in 2021)
- 15 new regular contributors who stayed beyond HacktoberFest
What Open Source Taught Me
1. Code Review is a Skill
Reading code is harder than writing it. Providing constructive feedback that improves the PR while encouraging the contributor is an art.
2. Communication > Code
Technical skills matter, but communication skills matter more in distributed, asynchronous collaboration.
3. Perfect is the Enemy of Done
Early on, I hesitated to contribute unless my code was perfect. I learned that good-enough code that ships is better than perfect code that doesn't.
4. Impact Beyond Code
Documentation, issue triage, helping others - these contributions are as valuable as code. Some of my most impactful contributions involved zero lines of code.
Advice for Aspiring Contributors
Start Small
Don't try to rewrite the core architecture in your first PR. Fix a typo, improve a doc, add a test. Build trust incrementally.
Read Before You Write
Spend time understanding the codebase before contributing. Read the CONTRIBUTING.md, browse existing PRs, understand the project's philosophy.
Communicate Early
If you're planning a significant change, open an issue first.
Be Patient
Maintainers are volunteers, often with day jobs. A delayed PR review doesn't mean your contribution isn't valued.
Open source has profoundly shaped my career and worldview. It taught me how to collaborate with people across continents, how to write maintainable code, and how to give and receive feedback gracefully.
My Open Source Stats
- Projects Contributed To: 8+
- Pull Requests Merged: 50+
- Issues Opened: 30+
- Stars Received: 200+
- Contributors Mentored: 15+
- Communities: CodeForces (Specialist, Rating 1411), Google Summer of Code (2022)
Open source isn't just about code - it's about building the future together, one contribution at a time.