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Contributing Guide

Welcome, and thank you for wanting to contribute! 🎉

This guide will walk you through every single step needed to make your first contribution. Read it fully before starting.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

Verify Git is installed by running this in your terminal:

git --version

You should see something like git version 2.x.x. If you get an error, Git is not installed.

Step 1 — Fork the Repository

What is a fork? A fork is your own personal copy of this repo on GitHub. You make changes in your fork, not the original.

  1. Click the Fork button at the top-right of this page
  2. GitHub will create a copy at https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/open-source-practice
  3. You now own this copy — do anything you like with it!

Step 2 — Clone Your Fork

What is cloning? Cloning downloads your fork from GitHub to your local computer so you can edit files.

git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/open-source-practice.git

Replace YOUR-USERNAME with your actual GitHub username.

Then move into the project folder:

cd open-source-practice

Connect to the original repo (called "upstream") so you can get future updates:

git remote add upstream https://github.com/anishaman6206/open-source-practice.git

Verify your remotes are set up:

git remote -v

You should see both origin (your fork) and upstream (the original).

Step 3 — Create a Branch

What is a branch? A branch is an isolated workspace. Changes on your branch don't affect main until you merge.

⚠️ Never commit directly to main. Always create a new branch for every contribution.

First, make sure your local main is up to date:

git checkout main
git pull upstream main

Now create your branch:

git checkout -b your-branch-name

Example:

git checkout -b feat/add-ada-lovelace-contributor

See Branch Naming Convention for naming rules.

Step 4 — Make Your Change

Open the file you want to edit in your text editor and make your change.

For example, to add your name to the Contributors table in README.md:

| Your Name | @your-github-handle | Added my name to the list |

Save the file when done.

Step 5 — Commit Your Change

What is a commit? A commit is a snapshot of your changes with a message describing what you did.

First, check what files you changed:

git status

Stage your changes (tell Git which files to include in the commit):

git add README.md

Or stage all changed files at once:

git add .

Now commit with a clear message:

git commit -m "feat: add Ada Lovelace to contributors"

See Writing Good Commit Messages for the format.

Step 6 — Push to GitHub

What is pushing? Pushing sends your local commits up to GitHub.

git push origin your-branch-name

Example:

git push origin feat/add-ada-lovelace-contributor

Step 7 — Open a Pull Request

What is a PR? A Pull Request asks the repo owner to review and merge your changes into the main repo.

  1. Go to your fork on GitHub: https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/open-source-practice
  2. You'll see a banner: "Compare & pull request" — click it
  3. Fill in the PR form:
    • Title: Follow the format in Branch Naming Convention
    • Description: Fill in the PR template (it will appear automatically)
  4. Click "Create Pull Request"

A maintainer will review your PR and either:

  • ✅ Approve and merge it — congratulations, you've contributed!
  • 💬 Request changes — they'll leave comments asking you to adjust something

Step 8 — Respond to Reviews

If a reviewer requests changes:

  1. Read their comments carefully
  2. Make the changes on your same branch (don't create a new one)
  3. Commit and push again — the PR updates automatically
# Make your changes, then:
git add .
git commit -m "fix: address review comments"
git push origin your-branch-name

Reply to the review comments on GitHub to let the reviewer know you've made the changes.

Writing Good Commit Messages

We follow the Conventional Commits format:

<type>: <short description>
Type When to use
feat Adding something new
fix Fixing a bug or error
docs Updating documentation
chore Maintenance tasks
style Formatting, no logic change

Good examples:

feat: add John Doe to contributors list
fix: correct typo in about.md
docs: add fun fact about elephants

Bad examples:

update stuff
changes
asdfgh

Branch Naming Convention

<type>/<short-description-with-hyphens>

Good examples:

feat/add-john-doe-contributor
fix/typo-in-about-md
docs/add-fun-fact-penguins

Code of Conduct

By contributing, you agree to follow our Code of Conduct.

The short version: be kind, be respectful, be patient. Everyone here is learning.

Still confused? Open a Question Issue — we're happy to help! 💬