3 Basic Traits That Every Successful Open Source Developer Has
Tags: beginners, opensource, webdev, programming
Published: 2023-12-08 14:04:10

![Flipt 3k Stars](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9nm62mya4s7jewmhsgoc.png)

[Flipt](https://github.com/flipt-io/flipt) has reached 3k GitHub stars ⭐ this week.

Woohoo!! 🎉

So I thought it would be a great time to reflect on what got us here and share our learnings with the community.  

In this post, I’m sharing 3 traits of our awesome contributors that helped us scale Flipt this far.

These 3 skills will help you level up your open source collaboration game and make you an invaluable contributor!

Let's dive in 🚀

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## TL;DR

- [Trait #1: Communication](#trait--1--communication)
- [Trait #2: Empathy](#trait--2--empathy)
- [Trait #3: Flexibility](#trait--3--flexibility)

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## Trait #1: Communication

Most open source developers find collaboration hard at first.

- Documenting code changes
- Participating in discussions
- Sharing their point of view

None of this comes naturally.

But clear communication is a must for shared understanding and reducing *wasted effort* in the project.

Erka, who’s a regular contributor at Flipt, communicates well while collaborating with maintainers by:

1. Opening draft PRs
2. Having a discussion before full review
3. Actively responding to the feedback

![Erka's contribution to Flipt](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ckavzncgc3rgv85r9nqk.png)

Erka's contributions were vital in the past couple of releases. 

**Likewise, the more you find opportunities to communicate, the easier it becomes.**

So, use commit message descriptions, review comments, code documentation, etc to develop your communication skills.

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## Trait #2: Empathy

When you don’t consider other contributor’s perspectives, you are limiting your learning.

You’ll be able to resolve issues much more effectively, when you promote a positive and inclusive environment.

One way to do that is like my fellow teammate George: 


![George's PR comment](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5glub8yvn6evecje851z.png)

He literally checks up on PRs to unblock contributors. And offer a helping hand wherever he can.

Having active contributors like him makes it immensely easy for newbies to get up and running with Flipt.

**So contribute to active project discussions or PR reviews to understand different contributor viewpoints.** 

It builds a strong foundation for the long-term growth of the project. 

---

## Trait #3: Flexibility

When you are open to feedback and suggestions, you:

- Stay updated with latest trends
- Become fun to collaborate with
- Learn to navigate uncertainty & ambiguity

At first, Amine wasn't sure what to do with a particular bit of implementation. But they didn't let it block them.

![Amine's contribution to Flipt](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/c99ugc69dsx13mysi919.png)

They went ahead with what they thought was best, but were open to feedback and to make any changes if necessary.

**That's why the easiest way to develop flexibility is by actively asking for feedback. Be open to constructive criticism. And use it to improve your approach.**

Doing that will also help you in reducing stress and burnout caused by unexpected situations.

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## Wrapping Up

That’s it!

Hope you found it useful.
Leave a ⭐ to support our work at [Flipt](https://github.com/flipt-io/flipt).

Drop in comments which trait you struggle with the most. 👇