Chapter 31: Git Contribute

The Big Picture – What does “Git contribute” mean?

Contributing usually means:

1. You find an open-source project on GitHub that you use / like / want to learn from
2. You notice something small that could be better:
   • typo in README
   • missing example
   • broken link
   • small bug
   • better docs
   • new translation
   • tiny feature
3. You fork the project → make the change in your copy → send a Pull Request (PR) back to the original repo
4. The maintainer reviews → maybe asks for changes → merges (or closes)

When your PR is merged → your code is now part of the official project — forever visible in history, your GitHub profile gets contribution graph squares, and you can say “I contributed to X project”.

Realistic Example – Contribute a small improvement right now

We will do a real, safe, beginner-friendly contribution to a popular beginner-friendly repo.

Target repo (as of 2026 — still active and beginner-welcoming): https://github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp (or if you want something smaller: https://github.com/readme/guides or any repo with “good first issue” label)

But for teaching, let’s pretend we are contributing to a simple fictional-but-realistic repo: https://github.com/webdevsimplified/todo-app-example (assume it has a README with a small typo or missing section)

Step 1 – Find something to fix / improve

Go to the repo → read README.md Suppose you see:

→ Typo: “Instalation” should be “Installation”

Step 2 – Fork the repository

On GitHub:

1. Click Fork button (top-right)
2. Choose your account → Create fork

Now you have your own copy: https://github.com/**your-username**/todo-app-example

Step 3 – Clone your fork locally

Step 4 – Create a new branch (never work directly on main!)

Step 5 – Make the change

Open README.md in VS Code / any editor

Change:

to

Save file.

Step 6 – Commit with a good message

Step 7 – Push your branch to your fork

Step 8 – Create the Pull Request

Go back to github.com → your fork (not the original!)

You should see yellow banner:

“fix/readme-typo-installation had recent pushes…”

Click Compare & pull request

GitHub opens the PR creation screen:

• base repository: webdevsimplified/todo-app-example ← compare
• head repository: your-username/todo-app-example
• base: main ← compare: fix/readme-typo-installation

Fill it properly:

Title (clear & conventional):

Description:

Click Create pull request

Done! 🎉 Your PR is now visible to the maintainer.

Step 9 – What happens next? (real-world flow)

• Maintainer sees your PR (hopefully has notifications on)
• Reviews → may approve immediately (especially typos)
• May ask for change (“please also fix X”) → you fix locally → commit → push again → PR auto-updates
• When happy → clicks Merge pull request (usually squash & merge)
• Your commit appears in official history
• Your GitHub profile contribution graph gets green square
• You get credit forever

Common Beginner Questions & Answers (2026)

• “What if they ignore my PR?” → Normal — many repos get hundreds of PRs. Small ones (typos/docs) have higher merge chance.
• “Can I contribute to big projects like React / VS Code?” → Yes — but start with “good first issue” label or documentation.
• “Do I need permission first?” → No — forking & PR is the polite way to ask.
• “What if I mess up?” → You can’t break the original repo — your changes are only in your fork until merged.

Quick Contribute Cheat Sheet

1. Find repo → Fork
2. Clone your fork locally
3. git switch -c fix/something-good
4. Fix / improve → commit with good message
5. git push -u origin your-branch
6. On GitHub → Compare & pull request from your fork to original
7. Fill nice title + description
8. Submit → wait → respond to feedback → celebrate when merged!

Want to do a real live contribution together right now?

• I can suggest 5 beginner-friendly repos with “good first issue”
• We can pick one → fix a typo → I’ll guide you through the PR creation

Or want to see how to handle “changes requested” feedback?

Just tell me — we’ll do it together step by step. Contributing is one of the fastest ways to level up your skills and profile — you’re going to love it! 🚀