I have always wanted to contribute to OSS, but I didn't know where to start and found it difficult to take the first step. Then, I seized an opportunity to contribute to roadmap.sh, an OSS project I use frequently. As a result, I made my first OSS contribution!

Though it's a small contribution, the sense of accomplishment is immense, so I've documented it in this article!

Discovering roadmap.sh

Developer Roadmaps - roadmap.sh

kamranahmedse / developer-roadmap

I was introduced to roadmap.sh by a senior engineer during my first long-term development internship, which I started soon after entering graduate school. The senior engineer advised me that mastering the content on this site could help me progress from a junior to a middle-level engineer. Consequently, I use this site regularly as a learning resource. For example, the backend chapter provides a roadmap as shown below, along with links to detailed articles and papers on each topic.

Backend Roadmap

Given that this OSS project requires all articles to be in English, I find it beneficial not only for technical learning but also for improving my English skills.

An Opportunity to Contribute ⭐️

When I decided to learn about AWS, I checked the AWS-related resources on roadmap.sh and noticed a lack of information. Considering my regular usage of this site and my longstanding desire to contribute to OSS, I decided to make my contribution here 💪.

Although I felt nervous about contributing to OSS for the first time, the excitement about what I could achieve outweighed my anxiety.

Preparing for Contribution

First, I thoroughly reviewed the Contribution Documentation. Since each project has unique guidelines and practices, understanding them is crucial. I also examined how other contributors tackled issues or created PRs to learn from their successful examples.

Creating the PR

When creating the PR, I focused on ensuring reviewers could easily understand my changes by:

Clearly and concisely summarizing my changes in the comments.
Minimizing the number of changes to facilitate an easier review process.
Adhering to the project's rules and style by referring to existing merged PRs.

Here is the PR I created! Approved PR Update index.md of 101-ec2 directory by Koki-Kazaore · Pull Request #7329 · kamranahmedse/developer-roadmap

To my surprise, my PR was merged just about 15 minutes after submission! With roughly 10 other PRs under my belt, I hadn't expected such a prompt response, and the quick acceptance filled me with joy.

Reflecting on the Factors Leading to the Quick Merge

Upon further review, I noticed no other merges occurred after my PR. While it was my first OSS commit for a relatively simple task, I believe that “commenting on the changes clearly”, “minimizing the number of changes”, and “researching existing PRs and guidelines ahead of time” were key factors contributing to my OSS success.

Conclusion