Welcome to the digital frenzy of Hacktoberfest! As October hits the calendar, it's not just about the usual fall vibes; it's the season of code! 🍂 Embrace the excitement, for in our realm, it's Hacktoberfest! 💻✨
What is Hacktoberfest?
Hacktoberfest is DigitalOcean's annual event that encourages people to contribute to open-source projects throughout October. This year marks its 10th anniversary🎉. But what exactly do we do during Hacktoberfest?
Participants are required to create a minimum of 4 successful Pull Requests (PRs) for any open-source project. Once the PR is successfully merged by the project's maintainer, it will appear on your Hacktoberfest account and go into the verification state. After verification, if they find it's an authentic PR eligible for Hacktoberfest, it counts towards your reward 🎁.
Yes, you heard it right! Hacktoberfest rewards all participants who complete 4 contributions✨. In HacktoberFest 2022, you had the choice between having a tree planted on your behalf🎄 or requesting swags👕. I chose to get swags and planted a tree myself 😋.
For HacktoberFest 2023 swag details, you can visit this site.
A Shift in Hacktoberfest 2023
This year, DigitalOcean has decided to make a shift. In its tenth year, Hacktoberfest is transitioning from physical t-shirt rewards to a digital reward kit. This shift is due to logistical challenges and customs issues. The kit, created in partnership with Holopin, includes customizable badges for pull/merge requests, special badges, and gifts for winners, fostering the spirit of the open-source community. Additionally, the first 50,000 participants completing their first PR/MR will have a tree purchased in their name.
Don't worry if the above information seems overwhelming or if you are an absolute beginner who doesn't know about GitHub, open-source contribution, or Hacktoberfest. We're here to guide you.
Understanding Open Source Contribution
"The Open Source Contribution" is a concept of building software for the people, by the people, following a process of collaboration to create software managed or maintained by an organization or group of people. Anyone can work on the base code of that software by following the defined guidelines on any collaborative development platform like GitHub or GitLab.
Some examples of open-source software include Linux, Mozilla Firefox, VSCode, VLC Player, and many more. If you want to dive deeper into open source, you can find more details here.
Now that you understand what Hacktoberfest is and the basics of open-source contribution, let's move on to how you can participate in Hacktoberfest 2023.
How to Participate in Hacktoberfest 2023
First, let's discuss what you need to be eligible to participate in Hacktoberfest 2023. Contrary to what you might expect, you don't need $1000 in your bank account; you need:
Familiarity with GitHub and its workflow
Knowledge of Pull Requests, Forking Repo, and Issues
Awareness of open-source software
A willingness to make the world a better place with the help of software
If you're not familiar with these terms, don't worry; there are plenty of online resources available. Here's a brief explanation:
GitHub: A platform where you can keep the base code of your software as a Repository and collaborate on it.
Fork: A tool on GitHub that allows you to make a copy of someone else's project/repo in your account and work on it.
Issues: A feature of GitHub where you can mention the issues your software has, allowing others to pick up and work on them or raise issues for your project.
Pull Request: A way to ask the project owner to review and merge your work into their codebase.
How to Get Registered for Hacktoberfest 2023
Let's get you registered for Hacktoberfest 2023:
Visit the official landing page.
Click on "Register Now."
You'll have two options: GitHub or GitLab. Choose one (I'll choose GitHub) and hit "Initiate."
Enter your GitHub/Gitlab credentials to register.
Fill out the form on the next page. It's self-explanatory and recommended.
After filling out the form, hit "Register," and you're now registered for HacktoberFest 2023.
Scroll down the page, and you'll see your progress: "Progress: 0/4." Your goal is to reach a minimum of 4/4 by collaborating on open-source projects.
How to Find Open-Source Projects to Contribute To
To contribute to an open-source project, you first need to find projects that are ready to accept your contributions. You can do this by visiting websites like goodfirstissue and code triage. These sites allow you to select your preferred programming language and display repositories with open issues to work on.
You can also search for issues labelled "goodfirstissue" on GitHub or use the global search with this label to find beginner-friendly issues.
How to Contribute to Open Source Projects
Assuming you've found a project and an issue to work on:
Open the issue and write a comment expressing your interest.
The maintainer will assign the issue to you.
Click the Fork button on the top right of the repo page to create a copy in your account.
Clone the project to your local machine using the command
git clone <https://github.com/username/project.git>.Create a new branch for your work using
git checkout -b my-first-contribution.Do your work, push the code to the branch, and create a Pull Request for the repo.
The maintainer will review your PR; they may ask for changes.
Make any requested changes in the same branch and push the code again. Once the maintainer approves, they will merge your PR.
Congratulations! You've made your first open-source contribution.
The Benefits of Open-Source Contributions
Finally, you might wonder, why should you participate in Hacktoberfest and make open-source contributions. It's not just about swags; it's about the significant benefits:
Contributing to open-source projects improves risk management and future planning for your projects.
Open source projects have transparent roadmaps, aiding in evaluating risks associated with required features or bug fixes.
Contribution allows you to shape or influence the open-source project's roadmap and priorities.
Collaborating on open source is enjoyable and personally satisfying, providing the opportunity to work with talented developers.
It can involve discussions and challenges, but successful contributions offer a high level of satisfaction.
Sharing ideas through open-source contributions can have a lasting impact, even if they take time to gain traction and acceptance.
If you've read this far, I appreciate your eagerness to learn and give back to society. You're my champ 💜!
That's all for now, but before I