How to Contribute to OpenTelemetry
You might have heard about OpenTelemetry, found it interesting and want to get involved, but the path to contribution isn’t immediately clear. You might start messaging people asking to get assigned to issues, or just give a shout out saying “I’m here to help, just let me know”, but you never hear back. So how can you actually start contributing to OpenTelemetry?
Open source thrives on community, mutual support, and the collaborative development of innovative technology. It also comes with challenges, especially if you’re new to this ecosystem.
Open source contribution dynamics
In open source, you are the architect of your own contribution journey. No one will assign tasks or dictate your every move. Instead, you need to be proactive, identify areas where assistance is needed, and take the initiative to work on them.
It’s crucial to understand that open source contributions differ from a traditional job where a manager or tech lead assigns tasks. In open source, the decision of what you will work on rests with you.
Identifying your contribution area
You might want to contribute for different reasons: developing a feature essential for your organization; addressing a bug in a component you actively use; acquiring new skills and expanding your knowledge base; becoming an active member of a vibrant, collaborative community; expanding your professional connections within the tech industry, etc.
Begin by exploring areas within OpenTelemetry that align with your existing expertise or ignite your curiosity. OpenTelemetry is a vast project, encompassing numerous components, diverse programming languages, and features spanning various levels of complexity. Consider what resonates most with you.
This page lists all existing SIG with their respective slack channels and meeting times: SIGs. You can also subscribe to the OpenTelemetry calendar and check the meetings you’re interested in: Calendar.
While it might be tempting to pick repositories that are very active, since you will probably get feedback on your PR and questions quicker, don’t overlook less active ones, because they would really benefit from people helping out. If your long-term goal is to achieve a status like “Approver” or “Maintainer”, contributing to less active repositories can accelerate this progression due to the higher impact your contributions will have. Find out more about membership status here: Membership.
For newcomers, looking for issues tagged with “good first issue” within those repositories is an excellent strategy. These issues are typically designed to be approachable for new contributors, offering a manageable entry point into the project.
If you’re unsure where to start contributing, documentation is an excellent starting point, as it directly benefits a wide audience. You can see more details on how to contribute to documentation here: Contributing, which includes the localization efforts.
Another great starting point is to join a Special Interest Group (SIG) within OpenTelemetry. These groups focus on specific areas of the project. By immersing yourself in a SIG, you’ll gain insights into their current priorities and identify relevant tasks. Don’t feel like you need to speak at those meetings right away, there is no pressure! You can introduce yourself if you want, but in general you can simply join, listen in, and determine if the area interests you. If it does, you can then start chiming in on discussions or bringing your own topics.
Substantial contributions
If you’re considering a more substantial or novel contribution, it’s advisable to consult with the maintainers of the relevant SIG. They can provide valuable input and help determine if your proposed task aligns with current project goals and makes sense for you to undertake at that particular moment.
All OpenTelemetry repositories can be found at OTel Repositories. This page provides an overview of each repository, including the programming languages used and a brief description.
The majority of OpenTelemetry repositories include a “contributing” tab. This tab provides repository-specific guidance, covering essential information such as dependencies, instructions for running tests locally, and other setup procedures. Should you find any missing information in these contributing documents, don’t hesitate to ask questions on the respective Slack channels.
During your contribution journey, you might identify gaps or areas for improvement in the existing contributing documentation. This presents a valuable opportunity to contribute by creating a pull request that adds the missing information. By doing so, you’ll not only contribute to the project but also significantly assist future contributors who may have similar questions. Documentation contributions are just as important as code contributions.
Final thoughts
Once you decide what to work on, you can always ask for help, remember that the OpenTelemetry community is a powerful resource, and there are a lot of people willing to provide guidance.
If you have ideas on how to improve the overall experience for OpenTelemetry
contributors, we encourage you to share them on the Slack channel
#otel-contributor-experience. Your suggestions are highly valued and can help
shape a more welcoming and efficient environment for everyone involved!
Happy coding!