Everything you need to know about Hacktoberfest

Everything You Need to Know About Hacktoberfest

You’ve probably heard about Hacktoberfest. For the past few years, DigitalOcean has hosted Hacktoberfest every October. It's a month-long, community-wide celebration of open-source projects where participants earn neat prizes and shout-outs.

Still have questions about Hacktoberfest? Don’t worry! I’ve compiled the most commonly asked questions alongside some handy resources to get you started.

Whether you're a seasoned developer or a complete newbie, everyone is encouraged to participate. Even if you have no experience working with open-source projects, Hacktoberfest is a fantastic opportunity to build a portfolio and engage with the worldwide community.

Today, we will cover:

• What is Hacktoberfest?
• How do I register for Hacktoberfest?
• What are the rules for participating?
• How can a beginner participate?
• How do I make a pull request?
• Common questions about pull requests

What is Hacktoberfest?

Hacktoberfest is a month-long, community-wide celebration of open-source software. Hosted by DigitalOcean, in partnership with GitHub and Twilio, it invites developers from around the globe to contribute to open-source projects.

To participate, you need to make four valid pull requests to public GitHub repositories. Besides boosting your open-source cred, participants get cool rewards like stickers, T-shirts, or even the option to plant a tree.

How do I register for Hacktoberfest?

You can sign up anytime between October 1 and October 31. The sooner you sign up, the more time you have to make your pull requests!

Participation is easy. Simply register on DigitalOcean’s Hacktoberfest page. You’ll need a GitHub account to sign up. Then, make at least four valid pull requests to open-source projects by the deadline.

What are the rules for participating?

Here are the key rules to keep in mind:

• Make at least four pull requests (PRs) between October 1 and October 31 (any time zone).
• Your pull requests must contain commits you made yourself.
• Pull requests reported as spam will be marked as invalid and won’t count.
• Pull requests can be made to any public repository on GitHub.
• Pull requests must be merged, approved, or labeled as hacktoberfest-accepted.
• Breaking the rules of conduct, leaving spammy PRs, or failing to follow quality standards will make you ineligible to participate.

How can a beginner participate?

Feeling nervous? Don’t be! Hacktoberfest welcomes all experience levels.

Here are some beginner-friendly ways to participate:

• Contribute to Documentation: Many projects need help with their documentation.
• Search for Easy Projects: Look for repositories labeled "good first issue" on GitHub.
• Learn from Others: Check out lists of first-time Hacktoberfest contributions to see what others have done.

If you’re new to Git, consider taking a course on Git and Version Control. This will teach you the basics of version control, how to make pull requests, and how to navigate GitHub.

How do I make a pull request?

A pull request is a proposed code change that you submit to a branch in a GitHub repository. The project maintainer will review and discuss your changes. Pull requests allow you to contribute to a project without disrupting others' workflow.

Here’s how to create a pull request on GitHub:

1. Go to the project repository on GitHub.
2. Switch to the "Pull requests" tab.
3. Click the "New pull request" button on the top right.
4. Select the appropriate base branch (the branch you want to merge changes into) and the branch you want to compare changes with.
5. And that’s it! You’ve created your pull request.

Common questions about pull requests

• Do multiple pull requests to the same repository count? Yes!
• Do issues/commits count for Hacktoberfest? No, only pull requests are part of this challenge.
• Do pull requests to my own repositories count? Yes, but you are encouraged to contribute to other repositories as well.
• Do pull requests have to be accepted/merged? Pull requests must be merged, approved, or labeled as hacktoberfest-accepted to count towards your goal.
• How do I know if my PR went through? Only PRs marked as “Ready for Review” will be reviewed. Draft pull requests do not count.
• Do issues have to be tagged #Hacktoberfest? No, they can be on any public repository to count.
• Do other companies participate in Hacktoberfest? Yes, other companies recognize Hacktoberfest and offer prizes for tracking progress. For example, Dev.to has a Hacktoberfest challenge.
• Can I make contributions outside of GitHub? No, only GitHub contributions count.

Happy Coding! Get started, contribute to the community, and enjoy the journey of Hacktoberfest.