My workflow for contributing to open source projects

Contributing to open source projects can feel intimidating at first. But once you understand the workflow, it becomes a seamless and rewarding process. This guide will walk you through a clean and efficient workflow that helps you stay in sync with the project while keeping your contributions organized.

Setup: Fork and Clone

Start by forking the repository on GitHub. Then, clone your fork and link it to the original repo:

git clone git@github.com:yourusername/project.git
cd project
git remote add upstreamtps://github.com/original-owner/project.git

Syncing with the Original Project

Before creating a feature, always sync your local main branch:

git checkout main
git pull upstream main
git push origin main

Creating a New Feature Branch

Create a new branch for your work:

git checkout -b feature/your-task-name

Use clear, descriptive names like feature/login-form, fix/button-color, or docs/api-reference.

Commit Your Work

As you make progress, commit your changes with specific messages:

git add .
git commit -m "Add login form with validation"

Sync and Rebase Often

To keep your branch up to date:

git checkout main
git pull upstream main
git checkout feature/your-task-name
git rebase main

If there are conflicts:

# Edit conflicting files
git add .
git rebase --continue

Push and Create a Pull Request

Once your feature is ready:

git push origin feature/your-task-name

Then open a pull request (PR) on GitHub with the following format:

## What
Brief description of the changes
 
## Why
Explain the problem you're solving
 
## How to Test
Steps for verifying the changes

Pro Tips

Branch Naming: Use feature/, fix/, or docs/ prefixes
Never commit directly to main

Daily Flow

git checkout main
git pull upstream main
git push origin main
git checkout -b feature/task
# Code, commit, push, PR

Stay in Sync: Open Source Git Workflow Guide