🔍 5 free tools on getting started in contributing to open source 🚀
Tags: webdev, javascript, programming, productivity
Published: 2023-10-17 18:05:13

Hey friends 👋

I’ve scouted the web and want to present my 5 favourite options for finding the best projects to contribute to in open source! 👩‍💻

Since Hacktoberfest is running in the background, these options can also find projects accepted for the event.

Let's get into it! 👇

_The list is not ordered by importance. With this in mind, do each platform and see what you prefer! 🙏_


---

## 1. GitHub


[![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/851if5w2qzirbcjr6psb.png)](https://github.com/topics/hacktoberfest?l=python)

- First place everyone thinks about when looking to contribute and you are right to! 

- Find the top repositories participating in `hacktoberfest` and filter down by the type of programming language used. 

- Get a view of each repo, the number of stars and the last updated time. Click on issues to get redirected to the issue page and look for your next contribution! ⭐️

###👉 [link](https://github.com/topics/hacktoberfest?l=python)


---

## 2. Up for Grabs


[![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/9wspnlwyni9qoc221539.png)](https://up-for-grabs.net/#/filters?tags=python&date=1month)

- Find the right project and filter by _last updated, name, label_ and _tags_ (_popular tags_ is also available for you to find common programming languages). 

- The website runs really well, it is kept up to date, and the interface is user-friendly (there is a dark mode as well which is quite cool!). 🌙

- Find your next contribution by reading the short description 
 of each project, find the tag with the highest number of issues and click on it to get redirected to the repo!


###👉 [link](https://up-for-grabs.net/#/filters?tags=python&date=1month)

---

## 3. First Issue


[![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/u0kw0cvb3rx936o7cnxd.png)](https://www.firstissue.dev/)

- It curates accessible issues from popular open-source projects + the design is very cool as well!

- Browse by _tag_ and _language_ to focus on first issues (and you can pick `Hacktoberfest` to find ones participating in the event!) 

- You can find the main _language, the number of stars_, and the _last activity_ on each project displayed. Click on the desired project to find the various unresolved issues for you to start contributing to. 🚀


###👉 [link](https://www.firstissue.dev/)
Created by @lucavallin 

--- 

## 4. Quira 
    
[![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/h6v1zrrptrjbrc3bolp3.png)](https://quira.sh/?&utm_source=devto&utm_campaign=top5_tools_contribute&utm_content=bottom_link)


- Find repos based on your _language_ and _topic_ of preferences (read about the [ML behind classifying topics](https://medium.com/quira/a-taxonomy-of-open-source-software-b3840ac1ef20)). 

- Filters for projects by _good-starter-issues_, _recently updated_ and _most stars_ (+ find `hacktoberfest` repos).

- Access all the issues from inside the platform and get stats about the repo to pick a suitable project (e.g _response time_ and _reply rate_ from maintainers etc).

Note: I'm the lead devrel at Quira and it is (extremely) likely for me to be biased here. Let me know your thoughts on Quira and if you think it deserves its place in the top 5  🤗

###👉 [link](https://quira.sh/?&utm_source=devto&utm_campaign=top5_tools_contribute&utm_content=bottom_link)

---


## 5. Finder Eddie Hub

[![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/yzjit8uugm2mgg56d466.png)](https://finder.eddiehub.io/app?global=true)

- After signing up, you can select "GitHub" and find the list of the many repos you can contribute to (including `Hacktoberfest`). 🎃 

- The filtering options are done differently and provide Eddie specific tagging options like "_Eddiehub:good-first-issue_".

- The design is really slick and has a minimalistic vibe, providing a very smooth experience as a user. 


###👉 [link](https://finder.eddiehub.io/app?global=true)
Created by @eddiejaoude 


---

Overall, all options are really interesting and will help you find the right project for you to contribute to! 

Whether this is your first time or you are a seasoned expert, try out the various options and let me know what you prefer. 

Let me know in the comments below, I am really keen to hear from you! 

Your Dev.to buddy, 

Bap

---

If you haven't yet, you should join our [discord server](https://discord.com/invite/ChAuP3SC5H/?utm_source=devto&utm_campaign=top5_tools_contribute) if you want to join the self-proclaimed "coolest" server in open source (😝). We are also here to help you in your journey with open source. 🫶


{% embed [https://dev.to/quira](https://dev.to/quira) %}