What is open source?

Open source quite literally means open + source. A project where the source code is openly available for everyone to see and work with. It's highly regarded in the general population as it's a great way to collaborate, and improve projects/software together. It also promotes transparency, as you can see exactly what a software you're using is doing. Linux, Mozilla Firefox, WordPress' content management system are some examples of popular open source softwares.

Why should I contribute?

By contributing to open source, you make a positive impact on the software industry: by helping make (hopefully) better software.
It's also a great way to learn as you can work on projects that experienced devs have already worked on, and network with the community by collaborating on projects together.

How to contribute to open source?

Find a project, and dive in! It's that simple. It's a good idea to start with projects that are marked Good First Issues. Good First Issues are tasks within open source projects that are specifically made for starting out. They're typically straightforward, and require minimal prior knowledge of the project's codebase. They're great for getting acquainted with the workflow and community dynamics. You can check out some here or look at some specifically on GitHub here. For more on what Github is, you can refer to this video


or get started here. You can also contribute to Ashoka specific projects here. Pick a project, then navigate to the “Issues” tab to see open issues. Some issues will also be tagged “good first issue.”