Roadmap

This is a roadmap for how to get into open source. It is not a linear path, and you can jump in at any point. The most important thing is to get started, and to keep going.

The chart is written as a Mermaid diagram. You can make changes by editing the code in: guides/roadmap.mmd

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    'themeVariables': {
      'primaryColor': '#d494ff',
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}%%

graph LR

    style A fill:#759ad5;
    style B fill:#9c86ee;
    style C fill:#9c86ee;
    style D fill:#9c86ee;
    style E fill:#9c86ee;
    style F fill:#9c86ee;
    style G fill:#9c86ee;
    style H fill:#9c86ee;
    
    A(fa:fa-code-branch Open Source Developer Roadmap)

    %% Stage 1
    A ==> B(fa:fa-play Stage 1: Introduction)
    B ==> B1(What is Open Source?)
    B1 --> B1a(Philosophy & Principles)
    B1 --> B1b(Benefits - Collaboration, Transparency, Community)
    B1 --> B1c(Challenges - Licensing, Governance, Sustainability)

    %% Stage 2
    A ==> C(fa:fa-wrench Stage 2: Fundamental Tools)
    C ==> C1(Version Control with Git)
    C1 --> C1a(Basics - Init, Add, Commit, Push, Pull)
    C1 --> C1b(Branching & Merging)
    C1 --> C1c(Handling Conflicts)
    C1 --> C1d(Best Practices)

    C ==> C2(Using GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket)
    C2 --> C2a(Repositories, Issues & PRs)
    C2 --> C2b(Forking vs Cloning)
    C2 --> C2c(GitHub Actions - CI/CD Basics)

    %% Stage 3
    A ==> D(fa:fa-code Stage 3: Dive into Coding)
    D --> D1(Pick a Language)
    D1 --> D1a(Basics & Advanced Topics)
    D1 --> D1b(Libraries & Frameworks)
    D1 --> D1c(Community & Support)

    D ==> D2(Project Structure & Design Patterns)
    D2 --> D2a(Understanding Open Source Codebase)
    D2 --> D2b(Common Architectural Patterns)
    D2 --> D2c(Code Quality & Standards)

    %% Stage 4
    A ==> E(fa:fa-people-line Stage 4: Engaging with the Community)
    E ==> E1(Finding the Right Project)
    E1 --> E1a(Good First Issue & Beginner Friendly)
    E1 --> E1b(Project's Vision, Goals, and Roadmap)

    E ==> E2(Communication Skills)
    E2 --> E2a(Engaging in Discussions)
    E2 --> E2b(Reporting Bugs & Enhancements)
    E2 --> E2c(Code Review Ethics & Best Practices)

    %% Stage 5
    A ==> F(fa:fa-hands-holding-child Stage 5: Make Contributions)
    F ==> F1(Documentation & Testing)
    F1 --> F1a(Writing Clear Documentation)
    F1 --> F1b(Unit Testing & Test-Driven Development)

    F ==> F2(Bug Fixes & Feature Enhancements)
    F2 --> F2a(Debugging Strategies)
    F2 --> F2b(Collaborating with Project Maintainers)

    F ==> F3(Project Governance & Management)
    F3 --> F3a(Understanding Project's Governance Model)
    F3 --> F3b(Role of Maintainers, Contributors, and Users)

    %% Stage 6
    A ==> G(fa:fa-brain Stage 6: Advanced Topics)
    G ==> G1(Open Source Licensing)
    G1 --> G1a(Common Licenses - MIT, GPL, Apache)
    G1 --> G1b(Choosing a License for Your Project)

    G ==> G2(Sustainability & Monetization)
    G2 --> G2a(Donations, Crowdfunding, Grants)
    G2 --> G2b(Open Core, Dual Licensing, Paid Support Models)

    %% Stage 7
    A ==> H(fa:fa-rocket Stage 7: Your Own Project)
    H ==> H1(Starting a New Project)
    H1 --> H1a(Defining Vision & Scope)
    H1 --> H1b(Community Building & Management)

    H ==> H2(Continuous Integration & Deployment)
    H2 --> H2a(CI/CD Pipelines for Open Source)
    H2 --> H2b(Tools - Travis CI, CircleCI, GitHub Actions)

    H ==> H3(Project Leadership & Mentoring)
    H3 --> H3a(Nurturing New Contributors)
    H3 --> H3b(Setting & Managing Expectations)