My First Hacktoberfest as a Repo Maintainer: A Journey of Growth and Learning

This is a submission for the 2024 Hacktoberfest Writing challenge: Maintainer Experience

My First Hacktoberfest as a Repo Maintainer: A Journey of Growth and Learning

Participating in Hacktoberfest 2024 as a first-time repo maintainer was both exciting and challenging. Earlier this year, I created a project repository called Dragon 24. When the team got busy, we put it on the back burner—but Hacktoberfest brought it back to life in the best way. The experience of managing contributions, interacting with developers, and improving the project taught me a lot, and it’s just the beginning.

Why I Joined Hacktoberfest as a Maintainer

Hacktoberfest seemed like the perfect opportunity to come back to the project with fresh enthusiasm and learn some essential skills in Git and GitHub, along with general repo management. I signed up hoping to make meaningful progress on Dragon 24 and open the door for others to contribute.

What surprised me was that as we resolved one issue, more ideas for features and improvements would emerge. This cycle created a steady rhythm of progress and a positive loop of contributions that kept the project growing.

A Learning Experience: The Highs and Lows

As a first-time maintainer, I quickly found myself navigating both technical and interpersonal aspects of project management:

Handling Merge Conflicts

I faced my first major challenge when a merge conflict arose. I wasn’t sure whether to resolve it myself or guide the contributor. After some thought, I decided to reach out to the contributor with a bit of guidance, which helped both of us learn from the experience. This gave me confidence in managing similar situations in the future.

The Unexpected Joy of Collaboration

One memorable highlight was when a contributor translated the README file into Mandarin. Having the project accessible in a second language made it feel more impactful, reaching a broader audience and enhancing inclusivity in the open-source community.

Improving Project Documentation

Another contributor offered suggestions for improving the README and documentation. This interaction pushed me to create clearer, more helpful documentation, a skill I’m excited to develop further.

Gains and Realizations

By the end of Hacktoberfest, I felt both accomplished and humbled. I now see that maintaining a project isn’t just about code—it’s about communication, organization, and patience. I also identified areas where I can grow:

Skill-Building Goals

I realized I need to get comfortable with Git, GitHub, and VS Code. Beyond these tools, I want to start planning skills and projects each month, building steadily toward the next Hacktoberfest.

Learning from Contributors

This challenge taught me that being a good maintainer also means helping contributors succeed. Guiding someone through a PR or explaining a merge conflict helped me see open source as a collaborative, teaching experience.

Goals for 2025

Next year, I plan to prepare well in advance. I want to set up a more organized workflow, create unit tests, and build up my technical skills to handle even more contributions.

Final Reflections

If you’re considering participating in Hacktoberfest as a maintainer—just do it. It can feel overwhelming at first, but the progress, confidence, and skills you gain by the end of the month make it worthwhile. This experience has made me not only a better maintainer but also a better contributor. I’m excited to keep improving Dragon 24, and I look forward to what next year’s challenge will bring.