New programmers often use online guides and examples to learn how to code. But just reading or watching isn't enough to truly understand. To really learn, they need to practice by working on real projects. That's why beginners should take on projects that let them use what they've learned. They can do these projects alone to test themselves or join with other developers from different places.
Open-source projects are great for this. They let developers try out new things and see how experienced developers work. In these projects, lots of people with different skills work together.
Everyone contributes what they can, and together they reach their goals. So, joining open-source projects is the best way for new programmers to learn, get hands-on experience, and work with other developers. Here in this article, we are sharing some top open-source projects easily available at OSC(OpenSourceCollection).
Things To Consider Before Choosing an Open Source Project as a Beginner:
For beginners interested in contributing to open source projects, here are some things to consider:
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Project Scope: Look for projects with a manageable scope that aligns with your current skills and interests. Starting with smaller projects allows you to learn gradually and make meaningful contributions.
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Community Engagement: Join projects with active and welcoming communities. Being part of a supportive community can provide guidance, mentorship, and motivation as you navigate your first contributions.
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Documentation: Choose projects with clear documentation that outlines how to contribute, including coding guidelines, issue tracking, and communication channels. Clear documentation makes it easier for beginners to understand the project structure and get started. you can find out almost 1000 projects with Source Code and Documentation at open source collection...
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Beginner-friendly Tags/Labels: Some projects label issues or tasks as "beginner-friendly" or "good first issue" to help newcomers identify suitable tasks to start with. Look for these tags when exploring projects.
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Personal Growth Goals: Reflect on your personal growth goals and choose projects that align with them. Whether you want to gain experience in a specific technology, contribute to a particular cause, or improve your collaboration skills, selecting projects that support your goals enhances your learning journey.
By considering these factors, beginners can find suitable open source projects that offer valuable learning experiences and opportunities for contribution.
15 Top Open Source Projects On OSC For Beginners
Here we are sharing some easy-to-use and beginner-friendly open source projects easily available at Open Source Collection…
ActivityWatch:
ActivityWatch wants to help people understand how they spend their time without invading their privacy. They do this by making a special app that keeps track of what you do on your computer, but it keeps all that information safe and private on your own computer.
Invoice Ninja:
Invoice Ninja 5 is the latest version of a tool for making invoices (bills). It's better than version 4 because it takes all the good things from version 4 and adds even more features that people have been asking for. You can use the code for free, and it includes all the fancy features of the paid versions.
Unifiedtransform:
Unifiedtransform acts like a helpful assistant for schools, managing various tasks to keep things running smoothly. Plus, since it's open-source, anyone can see and change its code, which is why there's a big demand for free school management software.
CloudSchool:
CloudSchool is designed especially for teachers and training. It's like having your own personalized learning tool in the cloud. You can easily practice and share course materials, and there's a version made specifically for schools or training companies to use as a virtual classroom.
Similar to this: Top 10 Machine Learning Projects
LAVSMS:
LAVSMS is software that helps school and college owners manage their institutions, built on Laravel 8. It's like a behind-the-scenes helper that keeps everything organized. Different users have different roles, like Super Admin, Admin, Librarian, Accountant, Teacher, Students, and Parents.
RosarioSIS:
RosarioSIS is like a helpful friend for school work, and the best part is it's free to use. It's an open-source student information system that teachers and school leaders can use easily. It lets you access important info online, like class rosters, student grades and behavior, and billing.
Tinode:
Tinode is like a special chat system where you can instantly message people. It's built with a Go-based backend and is open to everyone under the GPL 3.0 license. You can use it on your computer or mobile device with interfaces available in Java, JavaScript, and Swift.
Mirotalk:
Mirotalk is a great tool for having video conferences with friends or colleagues from work. It's easy to use, works smoothly on any browser or device, and even works well for real-time communication on reliable cloud servers like Hetzner.
Chatify:
Chatify is an app that lets you add instant messaging to your Laravel application with just one command. Developers use the Facebook Discord group to stay updated and chat. It's like having your own personal chat assistant always available.
Talk:
Talk is a cool chat system that you can easily add to your Laravel project, providing a complete messaging solution in minutes. It adds a touch of innovation to your project with its instant messaging feature.
Cuckoo:
Cuckoo is a program that lets you try out WebRTC and websockets by offering free video calls and screen sharing. It's like having stealthy video chats with users and a unique feature to show your desktop to others.
Simple:
Simple lets you text, call, and video chat with friends using PeerJS. It's popular because it's easy to use and works on both Windows and Linux with Chrome or Firefox.
Let's Chat:
Let's Chat offers real-time chatting in a fun and minimalistic way. It's developed with React and TailwindCSS, using Firebase for security, Node/Express API Routers for routes, and MongoDB to store chats and messages. The app runs smoothly thanks to Socket.io, which provides a socket for integration into other web servers.
StudX:
StudX is an interesting online school system that's like having a really smart friend. It's made with Python3 and the Django framework and stores information about students, teachers, and employees, acting like a modern filing cabinet.
Also Read: Top 10 Websites To Contribute For Open Source Projects
Kimai:
Kimai is a really good program that's free for anyone to use. It helps freelancers (people who work for themselves) or companies keep track of how much time they spend on different tasks. It has lots of cool features like a way for different programs to talk to each other (called a JSON API), tools for making invoices, ways to export data, and it can handle lots of timers at once. Plus, it lets you clock in and out of work easily.
Wrapping Up
Finding a good open-source project on Open Source Collection (OSC) for beginners to contribute involves considering several factors. It's important to look for projects with a welcoming community, clear documentation, and beginner-friendly tasks labeled. Projects with manageable scopes and diverse technologies also offer valuable learning opportunities for beginners.
Hopefully, this list of some easy-to-use projects will help you in choosing your next goal… Follow Open Source Collection’s blog page for more such informative blogs…
FAQs
To contribute to open-source GitHub projects as a beginner:
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Choose a project that interests you.
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Read the project's guidelines and contributing instructions.
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Look for beginner-friendly tasks or issues labeled in the project.
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Fork the project's repository to your own GitHub account.
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Make your desired changes or fixes in your forked repository.
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Submit a pull request (PR) to the original project's repository.
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Engage with the project's community and be open to feedback.
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Continue contributing and learning as you go.
You can put any project on GitHub that you want to share or collaborate on, such as personal projects, open-source contributions, or work-related projects. Choose a project that interests you and aligns with your goals, skills, and interests.
Yes, putting beginner projects on GitHub is a great idea! It allows you to showcase your skills, learn from others, and potentially collaborate with fellow developers. It's a valuable learning experience and can help you build a portfolio to demonstrate your capabilities to potential employers or collaborators.
You can find open-source projects to contribute to by exploring platforms like Open Source Collection, GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket. Look for projects that interest you, have clear contributing guidelines, and offer beginner-friendly tasks. You can also join communities, forums, or social media groups related to your interests to discover projects seeking contributors.