Open source software has revolutionized the current technology environment as they have inspired information sharing, creativity, and community-funded projects. Being involved and working on projects open source is not only about learning but it also provides a sense of belonging from other developers all over the world. Nonetheless, the onerous task of identifying the right project amongst the numerous initiatives appearing across various platforms can easily become a simply inconceivable one.
This article is all about the ten most popular sites where you can find, learn from or share with open source software whether you are a coder, innovator or tech expert. Whether it is web development, cloud computing, or any other field that fascinates you, through these platforms you are able to discover new ways, in which you can develop yourself and discover like-minded people with whom you can share your findings.
List Of 10 Sites To Contribute To Open Source Software
1. OpenSourceCollection
OpenSourceCollection is a collection of web-based open source projects. If you are a user, you may find an application that can be listed under several categories, for example, E-commerce, Social Networking, Video Streaming, ERPs, etc. They showcase various technologies by using PHP, Laravel, Python, NodeJS and so on. They give you real-time demos, pictures and live links to the source code on GitHub. OpenSourceCollection is made in this way so that developers and learners can get to understand, take help and have fun with all these freely available apps. It isn’t just amazing for developers and software firms, but also, for simple people who are looking for software solutions.
2. GitHub
GitHub which is probably the most highly rated for collaborative development and code hosting in open source projects. Millions of users have uploaded their technologies and projects on GitHub covering a very broad spectrum. Hence, GitHub presents a vast selection of projects that users can contribute to. Via such projects as filmmaking, web designing, game development, or simply learning new languages, you can discover the topics that pertain to you more and choose one that you like and suit you best. GitHub not only offers issue trackers, code review and everything the developer utilizes to create a project but, it also allows the developer to collaborate with the community. Therefore, it becomes so easy to contribute to projects and engage with GitHub users.
3. GitLab
Like GitHub, GitLab is an internet-based Git repository initiator which provides hosting for public as well as private projects. In spite of the fact that GitLab is not as huge as Github, it encompasses a thriving developers’ community, as well as provides features for cooperation, such as issue tracking, code review and continuous integration. GitLab has the upper hand, especially with teams who want to have a server installed in their workplace for managing their code version control and working together as colleagues virtually.
4. Bitbucket
Bitbucket is another used Git repository hosting service built for both public and private repositories. However, Bitbucket is not as widely used as GitHub or GitLab, but it is one of the most integrated Atlassian tools, Confluence and Jira as it is a product of Atlassian, and thus is a popular choice for teams that work with Atlassian tools for project management and collaboration. Bitbucket also provides free unlimited private repositories for small teams, it makes it one of the best alternatives for startups and small-sized businesses looking for an option to host their private information.
5. SourceForge
SourceForge was the oldest repository of open-source software on the net and at the same time one of its biggest. Initially established in 1999, SourceForge has a population in excess of half a million projects and is an unusually active community of developers and computer users. Apart from being the trend of the GitHub project, SourceForge is still a sought-after destination point to search and contribute to an open source project, especially in niche areas and old technologies.
6. Codeberg
Codeberg is a not-for-profit, zero-cost software development platform which was advocated within the supremacy ethos of software free. Codeberg, an open source platform which was launched in 2019, solves the problem of serving as a proprietary platform such as GitHub and aims to provide a decentralized and community-based platform for sharing and collaborating on open source projects. On the basis of privacy, transparency and user control, Codeberg is growing in popularity among developers who have grave concerning GitHub’s commercialization and centralisation.
7. Apache Software Foundation
The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) is a nonprofit organization managing more than 350 open-source projects which comprise Apache HTTP Server, Apache Hadoop and Apache Kafka. The ASF is a software development community, as a developer you can contribute to it through submitting patches, participating in mailing lists, forums and any other volunteering roles like that of project manager and leadership roles. Joining ASF projects is a perfect opportunity to gain experience with enterprise-scale, open-sourced platforms and to get exposure to a diverse community of developers.
8. Mozilla
People associate Mozilla with the Firefox browser as their most eminent project, however, the organization also manages a wide variety of open-source initiatives, including the Rust programming language, the Thunderbird email client, and the MDN Web Docs. Mozilla invites contributions from developers no matter whether they are seasoned professionals or beginners, and offers a plethora of documentation along with additional resources to help new contributors with steps to get started. Contribute to Mozilla projects – this is not only a great chance to learn new technologies, but also a possibility to gain a good reputation of developers in the community and even make a positive change on the net.
9. Kubernetes
Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration technology that was designed within Google and is now maintained via CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation). The advent of cloud-native technologies and microservices culture gave Kubernetes new popularity and importance in the open source arena globally. Participation in the development of Kubernetes can sometimes be a daunting but also immensely enjoyable adventure, the chance to get involved in the development of new technologies and interact with extremely clever minds.
10. Drupal
Drupal is an open-source content management system known as CMS, which is written by PHP, ensuring millions of websites and applications work across the world. As a contributor, you will help the Drupal community by writing codes, styling themes, and bundled modules, as well as participating in community events and initiatives. Pushing Drupal will help you a lot if you’re a web developer, gaining the experience to work on big projects. And having a negative impact on the Drupal ecosystem.
Wrap Up
Working with open-source projects allows you to improve your own skills, become more popular in the system, and give some value back to society. No matter whether you are an experienced developer seeking new opportunities or a beginner willing to add a few good projects to your portfolio, you will find a variety of interesting projects for open source communities to contribute. Through traversing the sites in question and keeping yourself active in the open source community, you can help change the world of software development, as well as further your own career objectives.
