---
title: 'Introducing: How to Contribute to Open Source'
date: 2016-02-08
description:
  My free, first-timer friendly egghead.io series all about how to contribute to
  open source projects on GitHub.
meta:
  keywords:
    - open source
    - javascript
    - github
bannerCloudinaryId: kentcdodds.com/content/blog/introducing-how-to-contribute-to-open-source/banner
---

<callout-info>
	tl;dr — [makeapullrequest.com](http://makeapullrequest.com) and
	[kcd.im/pull-request](http://kcd.im/pull-request)
</callout-info>

Open source is something that I care deeply for. I've been doing it for a while
now and I have found it to be among the most rewarding things I have experienced
as a developer. Because I enjoy it so much,
[I've worked hard](/blog/first-timers-only) to lower the barrier to entry so
others could jump on the boat as well.

The big challenge we face when inviting new people to jump on the open source
bandwagon is knowing how to get started. There are various tools, protocols, and
open source etiquette involved of which people are just simply not aware and
which make contributing really intimidating.

<callout-info>This is a problem with education, and can be fixed.</callout-info>

It is for this reason that I'm super excited to release my new egghead.io series
entitled: "How to Contribute to an Open Source Project on GitHub." It'll go
through everything you need to submit a pull request starting with something as
basic as
[setting up a GitHub account](https://egghead.io/lessons/javascript-introduction-to-github?series=how-to-contribute-to-an-open-source-project-on-github),
going all the way to
[doing an interactive git rebase](https://egghead.io/lessons/javascript-how-to-squash-multiple-git-commits?series=how-to-contribute-to-an-open-source-project-on-github).
And on top of all of that, it's **totally free**! (egghead.io ♥️ open source).

<callout-success>
	Check it out here: [makeapullrequest.com](http://makeapullrequest.com)
</callout-success>

#### What this means for project maintainers

This means that instead of just saying: "_I'll get to it when I can_" or "_I
probably don't have time to do that, but feel free to make a pull request._" You
can now say: "_Feel free to
[makeapullrequest.com](http://makeapullrequest.com)!_"

So, **if you maintain an open source project**, help make it easier for
beginners by adding this to your README:

```md
[![PRs Welcome](https://img.shields.io/badge/prs-welcome-brightgreen.svg?style=flat-square)](http://makeapullrequest.com)
```

And this to your CONTRIBUTING.md

```md
**Working on your first Pull Request?** You can learn how from this _free_
series
[How to Contribute to an Open Source Project on GitHub](https://egghead.io/series/how-to-contribute-to-an-open-source-project-on-github)
```

**If you don't maintain a project**, you could always submit a PR to your
favorite project to add these things too 😀 😉

Let's spread the joy of Open Source to more people through education!
