Before we start...

In this post, I’m sharing the experience of completing my first Hacktoberfest. I'll be diving into my fourth and final contribution and doing a quick recap of everything I accomplished throughout the month.

My Final Issue & Pull Request

Things don't always go as expected

For my final pull request, I initially set out to contribute to an API integration platform called ByteChef. I found an interesting issue with a "hacktoberfest" label, reviewed the repository and CONTRIBUTING.md, and decided to try to implement it. However, I soon realized I had underestimated the complexity of the task. After trying to set up the dev environment, exploring the implementation of related features, carefully studying the documentation, and attempting to implement the change, I realized I lacked the time and knowledge (the project is written in Java, a language I am not that comfortable with) to complete the task by the end of Hacktoberfest. Life got in the way, I fell sick and the deadlines were pilling up. With all these factors in mind, I made the difficult decision to step back from the issue.

Issue I worked on and final PR

Even after stepping back from the issue, I was determined to complete Hacktoberfest with at least a quick fix. My only criteria was to avoid contributing to one of those spam repositories created solely to earn a Hacktoberfest badge. So, I ended up contributing by fixing a typo in a smaller Hacktoberfest-participating project.

I have stumbled upon this repo while looking at different participating projects, spotted a typo, and created an issue to point it out (issue#4).

Then I forked the repo, branched out, made a fix, and created a Pull Request which pretty quickly got merged into main (PR#17).

Hacktoberfest 2024 - Recap

Although I didn't manage to end Hactoberfest on a high note, I am still proud of the progress I've made throughout the month. Starting as a complete beginner, I went from fixing a spelling mistake in a small repository to contributing a code change to a larger project.

My Progress in PRs:

• PR#1 Blog Post#1: At the very beginning, my main goal was familiarizing myself with the Hacktoberfest contribution process. To start, I fixed a simple spelling mistake in the repo called Battleship. The task was quick and easy, and the kindness of the repository owner made me more comfortable with interacting with a larger open source community.

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• PR#2 Blog Post#2: My second PR had to do with updating Mattermost's documentation. It gave me insight into the contribution and code review processes within a large-scale open source organization. I had to familiarize myself with the project structure, read through multiple contribution guidelines, and even sign the license agreement.

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• PR#3 Blog Post#3: By my third Hacktoberfest contribution, I finally felt ready to make changes in the codebase. I implemented a minor backend modification for the capacity and patient management system of the Open Source Healthcare Organization, Care. While working on it, I faced some doubts about the implementation and struggled with setting up the development environment (BUT got a good refresher on using Docker). This made me go out of my comfort zone, pushing me to seek help from the community on Slack. Getting help from fellow contributors showed me how crucial community is in open source development.

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• PR#4: Despite the fact that my fourth contribution didn’t go as planned, it became a valuable learning experience, highlighting the importance of time management and teaching me to accept setbacks and move forward. Returning to a simpler typo fix after my failed attempt felt like a full-circle moment, reminding me of where I had started at the beginning of the month.

Conclusion

Hacktoberfest, with all its ups and downs, was still great and rewarding. After all, it got me to contribute to open source for the very first time! I learnt a lot along the way and am looking forward to contributing to more cool projects.