As we all know contributing to Open Source projects is a good way for programmers to gain valuable experience, build a strong portfolio, and collaborate with a global developer community. However, getting started can be a challenge, especially for beginners. Finding the right project with issues that align with your skillset can feel overwhelming.

Tublian a platform built to help developers 10x their career and gain visibility has built a tool to make Open Source contributions accessible for everyone, regardless of experience level.
Our previous article covered how to make your first contribution in under 10 minutes using Tublian. Now, we’ll show you how to find beginner-friendly Open Source projects and issues that perfectly match your skillset.

Before We Dive In: Personalize Your Tublian Experience

It’s important to remember that Tublian personalizes your experience based on your GitHub activity and interests (programming language) selected during signup. Don’t worry if you made a mistake or didn’t pay attention during signup — you can easily adjust your preferences by going to your Profile > Edit Profile > Edit Preferences. Do this and ensure you select the programming language you are interested in and save.

Find Your Perfect Project on Tublian (Search Open Source projects)

Searching for Open Source issues on Tublian is straightforward, but most users miss out on powerful search options.

Here are several ways to discover amazing projects with beginner-friendly issues:

1. Search by Programming Language: Do you love Python or prefer JavaScript? Tublian lets you filter projects by the specific programming languages you’re comfortable with. This helps you find projects where you can immediately contribute your skills.

2. Search by Categories: Tublian categorizes projects based on various topics like web development, data science, or mobile development. This allows you to target your search towards areas you’re interested in learning or expanding your knowledge

3. Search by Trending Projects: Discover what’s hot in the Open Source world! Tublian highlights trending projects that are actively gaining attention and contributions from Tublian Users. These projects often have well-documented codebases and supportive communities, making them ideal for beginners to learn the ropes.

4. Search by Interest: I find searching by interest to be one of the most effective ways to discover projects on Tublian. It’s incredibly easy — simply type any of your interests into the Tublian search bar. I’ve tried searching for things like education, sports, documentation, finance, and even blockchain. This will give you Open Source projects directly related to that interest and of course matching your skill, no matter how specific. These projects are typically well-maintained (“healthy”) and often have a good number of open issues for you to contribute to.

5. Recent Activities: The “Recent Activities” tab on Tublian is a goldmine for discovering hidden gems. Whenever someone you’re connected to starts contributing to a new project, the Tublian platform shows their activity there. Here’s my personal hack: if someone seems to have a knack for finding cool projects, I’ll sometimes check out what they’re contributing to and see if it aligns with my interests. This can be a great way to find projects you might have missed otherwise.

Finding the Perfect Beginner-friendly Open Source issues

Once you’ve found a project you like, explore the open issues list. Look for issues labelled “Good First Issue” or “Beginner Friendly.” These issues are specifically designed for newcomers to Open Source and often come with detailed instructions and guidance from experienced developers.

Contributing with Ease: Forking vs. Codespaces (Open Source contribution methods).

When you find an issue you can solve, you have two options for contributing:

• Fork and Clone: This traditional method involves forking the project repository to your GitHub account, cloning it to your local machine, making changes, and submitting a pull request.

• Contribute using Codespaces: Tublian integrated a faster and more efficient way to contribute directly within your browser through a cloud-based development environment called Codespaces. No local setup is required!

Get Started on Your Open Source Journey Today!

Head to https://www.tublian.com/ to sign up for Tublian and embark on your Open Source contribution journey! With Tublian there’s no reason not to be part of the Open Source movement. it makes it easy to find the perfect project, contribute your skills, and become a valuable part of the Open Source community.

Remember, contributing to Open Source is not just about coding — it’s about learning, collaborating, and giving back to the developer ecosystem. So, take the first step, find your perfect project on Tublian, and make a real difference!