My Hacktoberfest Journey: A Recap of Contributions and Learnings
Tags: hacktoberfest23, opensource, github
Published: 2023-11-27 18:07:41

I had an amazing experience starting my open-source journey during Hacktoberfest. It was full of obstacles, educational opportunities, and worthwhile contributions. I'll walk you through my three contributions to open-source projects during Hacktoberfest in this blog post recap and give an update on my progress so far.

## 1. [My Journey into Open Source: A Hacktoberfest Contribution to Curio](https://dev.to/bhmistry/my-journey-into-open-source-a-hactoberfest-contribution-to-curio-1e3o)
In my first blog post, I shared the excitement of diving into the vast world of GitHub repositories during Hacktoberfest. Navigating through numerous projects, I found myself drawn to Curio. The contribution focused on improving the documentation by creating templates for issue reporting and pull requests. The experience allowed me to understand the importance of clear and standardized contributions and appreciate the collaborative nature of open source.

## 2. [Navigating the Open Source Seas: My Second Hacktoberfest Contribution to Turbo NextUI Starter](https://dev.to/bhmistry/navigating-the-open-source-seas-my-second-hactoberfest-contribution-to-turbo-nextui-starter-3em3)
My second journey took me to the turbo-nextui-starter repository, where I discovered that the CONTRIBUTING.md file was missing. Inspired to improve contributors' access to the project, I took on the task of producing this important file. The emphasis of the contribution was on creating a friendly environment for collaboration, rather than just coding. It was a worthwhile learning experience to carefully consider the different ways that people engage with the project when creating the CONTRIBUTING.md file.

## 3. [Contributing to Open Source: Adding Prettier Feature to Live-ATC](https://dev.to/bhmistry/contributing-to-open-source-adding-prettier-feature-to-live-atc-cl)
In my third blog post, I documented my contribution to the Live-ATC repository by addressing Issue #9 – adding a Prettier feature. This involved integrating Prettier to maintain consistent code styling and readability. The implementation process included installing Prettier, configuring formatting rules, creating a `.prettierignore` file, and finally, submitting a pull request. The approval of the pull request marked the successful integration of the Prettier feature into the project.

## Reflection
I've improved my technical abilities and developed a greater awareness of the inclusive and cooperative nature of the open-source community as a result of my Hacktoberfest experience. Every input brought with it special difficulties and chances for development. My path covered a variety of project development facets, from upgrading documentation to generating a CONTRIBUTING.md file and incorporating a code formatter.

## Key Learnings:

1. **Collaboration:** Engaging with maintainers and fellow contributors showcased the collaborative spirit of the open-source community. Receiving feedback and having pull requests approved and merged was immensely rewarding.

2. **Documentation**: Understanding the importance of clear and thorough documentation became evident in each contribution. Creating templates and guidelines streamlined the contribution process for both users and maintainers.

I look forward to continuing my journey in open source, armed with the knowledge, experiences, and connections gained during Hacktoberfest.