Small Lessons I Learned While Starting Open Source Contributions

Vishal Prajapati — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:24:03 +0000

Small Lessons I Learned While Starting Open Source Contributions

Recently, while starting my journey in open source, I encountered a few small but important learning moments. These may look simple, but they can save a lot of time for new contributors.

1. Keeping Your Fork Updated with the Original Repository

To keep my fork updated with the original repository, I fetched the latest changes from the upstream repository and merged them into my local main branch.

This ensured my project had the latest updates before starting any new contribution.

Example workflow:

git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main

Keeping your fork synced is very important because open-source projects change frequently. Working on an outdated branch can create unnecessary merge conflicts.

2. Understanding Django Migration Errors

When I first ran the project, I encountered a database error saying a column didn't exist.

At first it looked scary.

But after carefully reading the terminal logs, I noticed that Django was warning me about unapplied migrations.

Running this command fixed the issue instantly:

python manage.py migrate

This taught me an important lesson:

Always read error messages carefully before panicking.

Most of the time, the terminal already tells you exactly what needs to be fixed.

3. Respecting Other Contributors

While contributing to open source, I also learned that it's important to respect the work of other contributors.

Even if an issue is open, sometimes maintainers mention someone who may want to work on it.

In such cases, it's good practice to ask politely before starting work.

Example:

"Hi! I'm a new contributor. May I work on this issue if it's still available?"

This small step avoids duplicate work and helps maintainers coordinate contributions.

Final Thought

Open source is not just about writing code.

It is also about:

communication
patience
collaboration
respecting the work of others

Small lessons like these help build real open-source maturity over time.

Why Many "Open Issues" in Open Source Are Actually Not Available for Beginners

Vishal Prajapati — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:53:21 +0000

Why Many "Open Issues" Are Actually Not Available for Beginners

While contributing to open source projects recently, I noticed something interesting.

Many issues are marked Open, but beginners actually cannot work on them.

Why?

Because a Pull Request is already submitted and under review.

But since the PR is not merged yet, maintainers keep the issue open.

This creates confusion for new contributors.

Common Situation

You find an issue that looks perfect.

But after reading carefully you notice:

Someone already submitted a PR
Maintainers are reviewing the code
Changes are requested

But the issue is still labeled Open.

So technically it looks available.

But it's not.

How to Avoid This Problem

Before starting any issue, check:

Issue comments
Linked pull requests
Assigned contributors
Labels like good first issue

Also, always comment first before working.

This avoids duplicate work and helps maintainers coordinate contributions.

Advice for GSoC Aspirants

If you're preparing for Google Summer of Code, focus on consistent and meaningful contributions instead of rushing to open many PRs.

Maintainers remember contributors who:

communicate well
write clean code
improve documentation
help others in discussions

Open source is a long game.

Forem: Vishal Prajapati

Small Lessons I Learned While Starting Open Source Contributions