Contributing to Nuxt

Over the last few months, I've had the privilege of having lots of conversations about getting started in open source. So I thought I'd put down a few thoughts both about getting involved more generally in open source, and also specifically some tips on contributing to Nuxt.

What open source is (to me)

From my point of view, open source is about giving. 'Freely you have received, freely give,' are words that mean a lot.

I think open source is a chance to step outside the normal producer-consumer dichotomy and enter the world of relationships. When I download a project or use a library, I'm grateful. It's a meal from a stranger.

And for me, when I have the chance to share something I've made with someone else, I do that to share what I have with them.

I'm not anti-enterprise. I love building a product and winning customers. But for me, open source is a chance to give and receive.

Giving to open source

I know exactly what it's like to look into a community from the outside. Because it can be a place of relationships, it also can be a place of in-crowds. It's easy to feel you have no 'right' to be there when you see talented and admirable engineers who know each other and are working as a team.

My own story was very much one of coming into open source from the outside.

Here are some things I believe about giving into an open-source project:

• If you are new to a project (as to a company), you have a priceless gift. You can see more clearly than people who are already there. You might be in a perfect position to challenge 'received wisdom.' 💡
• If you care about a project (because you are using its documentation, API or library) then you are in the best position to make it better. Fixing something that was a pain for you, or building the feature you wish you had? That's user research + product + engineering, all in one. 👌
• Contributing to open source is a phenomenal way to grow. And there are huge rewards too, from deep friendships to career opportunities. ✨

Contributing to Nuxt

If you want to contribute to Nuxt, feel free to book a chat at any point.

You can also check out our contribution guide. And, if it can be better, maybe that could be your first issue or pull request.

If you're looking for a place to start, why not start with one of these filtered issue searches:

• Documentation. Often these already have a solution or hint in the comments, but it needs to be brought into the docs.
• Good first issues. We try to use this issue not for easy issues but ones that have a clear scope and are ready-to-build.
• Triage. One of the biggest jobs is sorting through new issues that people raise, and figuring out whether they are duplicates, real bugs, or need more information before we can begin investigating or fixing them. Commenting and trying to reproduce bugs is hugely helpful.

... and if you're engaging with an issue, feel free to ask away! I'm happy to help via DMs (on Twitter or Discord).

However you get involved, thank you for the gift. ❤️