Mohit Bhat Mohit Bhat
Open Source Workshop

All about open source

CGC University Chandigarh Group of Colleges session

GSoC Programs Git GitHub
Before we start

I'm Mohit. I'll take this class.

Mohit Bhat

Mohit Bhat

Founder, NodeRails · Wallcard

GSoC student in 2021. Now I admin and mentor.

Founder, NodeRails Founder, Wallcard Fleek Network, USA Ex Lead, Singularity, Singapore GSoC Admin, Scorelab / C2SI Code4GovTech @ MeitY GSoC '21 · SoB '21 · GitHub Externship SIH Mentor and Judge
50+Hackathons · 15+ countries
4xETHGlobal finalist
GSoCStudent, then admin
50k+Students mentored
Today

Two halves. Break in the middle.

01
Why open sourceWhy even bother
02
GSoCWhat it is, how they pick
03
All programsSoB, Outreachy, MLH...
04
BreakTea, stretch, questions
05
Git + GitHubMerge, rebase, issues
First thing

Why open source

Build for communityYou ship something people actually use. Not only a college assignment.
Great way to build a portfolioA merged PR is better than "I know Git" on a resume. They can click it.
Hiring happens on thisLots of hiring is on open source contribution basis. Mentors already saw your work.
Networking, grants, funding, airdropsPeople in these orgs remember names. Opportunities come from that.
Challenging and excitingBig codebases. Real reviews. You grow faster than tutorials.
Boosts your knowledgeYou learn how production software is actually written.
Web3 is inherently open sourceIf you want this industry, this is the default way of working.
Open Source in Web3 / BlockchainProtocols, clients, tooling. Same GitHub habit as GSoC.
Also this

There is money in open source

Not only GSoC stipend. People put cash on GitHub issues. You fix it, you get paid.

$300. $100. $100.Small bugs and features. Real dollars sitting on the issue.
Same GitHub workClone, branch, PR. That is how you collect this. No new magic.
Happening right nowWeb3, x402, random repos. Open source is not only free labour.
Open source issue bounties of 300 and 100 dollars
GSoC

What exactly is GSoC

Google Summer of Code is a global, online program. New contributors work with an open source org on a 12+ week programming project, under mentors.

Look around Org list Open the GSoC org list. Pick 2-5 orgs you can actually run.
Then Contribute Issues, small PRs. They should know your name before the form.
March Proposal Write how you will build it. Clear timeline. Not a copied PDF.
If selected Bonding 3 weeks with the community. Then 8-22 weeks of coding.
Summer Ship Mentor reviews you. Stipend comes if you pass evaluations.
Why bother

How GSoC helps you

Interviews Credibility Shows you know something. Adds a star to your profile. You get a real project to discuss.
Resume Selection Your resume gets a powerful point. Helps you get shortlisted.
Skill Lots of learning You work on big codebases. You learn to be consistent. That stays with you.
Money Stipend toh hai hi Google pays you if you pass evals. Country-based. Not the only reason, but yes it is there.
Money

Stipend toh hai hi!!!!!

Google pays you for the summer. Only if you pass mentor evaluations. Don't come only for the money. Come to learn a big codebase. The stipend is the bonus.
Selection

Org selects students on the basis of

  1. 1
    ProposalHow clearly you explain the project and the timeline.
  2. 2
    Number of contributionsMerged PRs they have already reviewed.
  3. 3
    Proof of conceptA small demo that you can actually build this.
  4. 4
    Your experiencePast open source, projects, internships. Don't bluff.
  5. 5
    Activeness in their communityChat, issues, comments. They pick people they already know.
Proposal

What is a good proposal

  1. 1
    Explain how you will develop that projectClear manner. Not buzzwords. Actual steps.
  2. 2
    Mention work experience and achievementsHackathons, internships, anything real.
  3. 3
    Mention any past open source experienceEven small docs PRs count. Put links.
  4. 4
    Give a clear and real timelineWeek by week. Something you can actually finish.
Best way?

Good proposal is not only English.

Any one of these can work. Best is contributions plus a small POC.

Option A Low contributions + good POC
Option B High contributions + low POC
Option C Just very high contributions

Don't bluff in the proposal. Don't just write anything. Mentors can tell in 2 minutes.

Projects

Types of projects

Most common Existing project, new features You extend something that already works. Improvements also count.
Harder New projects You start something fresh. Need a very clear POC.
Middle Existing project, new module Same repo, new piece. Nice if you already contributed there.
How to start

Don't apply to 20 orgs.

  1. 1
    Have a good grasp of one tech / languageDon't try a new stack only for GSoC. You may fail, or not even apply.
  2. 2
    Analyse all organisations and projectsRead the org list. See what you can actually run on your laptop.
  3. 3
    Narrow down to max 3-5 organisationsAll orgs have different selection criteria. Depth beats spray.
  4. 4
    Pick 1 or 2 projects and start contributingUnderstand the codebase. 7-8 focused days and it starts making sense.
  5. 5
    Give ample time to the proposalLast night Google Doc will not work.
Community

How to reach out to organisations?

Don't send "Hi I want GSoC please select me." Talk on their channel, about a real issue.

Find their chat

Discord, Slack, Matrix, Gitter

→
Read first

CONTRIBUTING, idea list, old PRs

→
Ask one thing

A specific issue, not "how do I start"

→
Stay visible

Same org. Same name. Every week.

Tips

Some do's and don'ts

Do this

  • Focus 7-8 days on one codebase It feels hard at first. Then it clicks.
  • Analyse yourself, pick the right org That is the actual tip to success.
  • Be available in the coding period You can fail after selection if you disappear.
  • Just focus Competition is high. Don't be afraid. It is actually easy if you show up.

Don't do this

  • Don't bluff in the proposal Don't just write anything.
  • Don't try a new stack / language You may fail, or not even apply.
  • Don't watch 40 GSoC roadmap YouTube videos Go to the org. Open issues.
  • Don't think GSoC is everything Still try. You will learn big codebases either way.
Programs

Fellowships / open source programs

GSoC is not the only door. Same method for all of these: contribute first, then apply.

  • Google Summer of Code
  • Outreachy
  • Summer of Bitcoin
  • Eth Fellowship by Devfolio
  • Polygon, Celo, other protocol fellowships
  • Eth Protocol Fellowship (Ethereum Foundation)
  • MLH Fellowship
  • GitHub Externship
  • YC Academy Fellowship
  • Code4GovTech @ MeitY
  • GirlScript Summer of Code
  • Other protocol-level fellowships
For women

Scholarships and programs

  • Grace Hopper Celebration (GHC) / GHCI
  • Adobe India Women in Technology Scholarship
  • Nutanix WIT Scholarship
  • Women Techmakers Scholarship
  • Red Hat Women in Open Source Award
  • Linux Foundation Training (LiFT) Scholarship
  • Western Digital STEM Scholarship
  • Internshala Career Scholarship for Girls
  • Goldman Sachs Global Scholarship and Mentorship
  • Pragati Scholarship (AICTE)
  • L'Oreal India for Young Women in Science
  • Qualcomm WeTech / Palantir / SWE scholarships
  • Google Conference and Travel Scholarship
  • Venkat Panchapakesan Memorial Scholarship
  • IIT Bombay Research Internship Award
  • Diversify Tech Education Scholarships
For women

Top internship programs

  • Outreachy
  • SheIntuit by Intuit
  • GSoC Systers Community
  • GirlScript Summer of Code
  • Rails Girls Summer of Code
  • Hack@Home by Atlassian
  • She Codes by Indeed
  • DevelopHER by Twitter
  • Google STEP Intern
  • Microsoft Codess / Garage / New Technologies
  • Facebook University for Coders
  • American Express Makeathon
  • Amazon AmazeWow
  • CODHERS by Adobe
  • Duolingo Thrive Program
  • DE Shaw Fellowship / VISA Code UR Way / Wintathon
Break

Tea. Stretch. Questions.

After this we do Git, merge, rebase, force push, then how to find issues and raise a PR.

Git

Version control systems

Git lives on your laptop. It saves snapshots of your code. That is version control.

Your machine · Git
  • git commit save a snapshot
  • git checkout -b new branch, jump on it
  • git status see what changed
  • Works offline. No account needed.
push ↑ ⇄ ↓ pull
The website · hosting
  • GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
  • This is where people meet
  • Issues and pull requests live here
  • GSoC mentors watch this, not your laptop
Hubs

Central hubs for code

Same idea. Different websites. Most open source you will touch is on GitHub.

Most common GitHub
Also used GitLab
Also used Bitbucket
Git

Seven commands. That's enough to contribute.

zsh · project
# get a copy
$ git clone git@github.com:you/app.git
$ git status

# new branch, and you are on it
$ git checkout -b fix/typo-readme
$ git add README.md
$ git commit -m "fix: typo in install docs"

# send it up
$ git push -u origin fix/typo-readme
$ git pull
  • clone copy the repo onto your machine
  • status always look before you add
  • checkout -b create the branch and switch to it
  • add stage only the files you mean
  • commit one idea, one message
  • push send the branch to GitHub
  • pull take other people's work
Git · branch

git branch does not switch you.

One command only makes the name. You are still on main. The other makes the name and puts you on it.

Two steps
still on main after the first line
# 1. make the name. you are still on main
$ git branch fix/typo-readme
# 2. now jump on it
$ git switch fix/typo-readme

# same two steps, older command
$ git branch fix/typo-readme
$ git checkout fix/typo-readme

git branch only creates. Then you switch. Easy to forget the second line and commit on main.

One step. Use this.
create + switch
$ git checkout -b fix/typo-readme
# same thing, newer spelling
$ git switch -c fix/typo-readme

$ git status
On branch fix/typo-readme

checkout -b is branch + switch together. -b means create. switch -c is the same idea.

Remember this

Every contribution is these six steps.

Fork is your copy. Upstream is the real project. You push to your copy, then open a PR into theirs.

01ForkCopy on GitHub
02CloneDownload to laptop
03Branchgit checkout -b
04CommitWhat changed, and why
05Pushorigin/your-branch
06Pull requestAsk them to review

One issue → one branch → one PR. If it becomes big, split it.

Git · merge

Merge keeps both histories.

You were on a branch. Main also moved. Merge adds one extra commit that joins them.

Before
After git merge feature

A B C D E stay. M is the join.

main your branch merge commit
Git · merge

Sometimes Git does not even make a new commit.

If main did not move, Git just slides the pointer forward. That is fast-forward. If both sides moved, you get a merge commit.

Fast-forward

Main was behind. Pointer just moves. No M commit.

Merge commit

Both moved. Git makes M. The fork stays in history.

Git · rebase

Rebase puts your commits on top of latest main.

Git copies D and E, one by one, onto C. New hashes. D and E as you knew them are gone. History looks like one straight line.

Before
After git rebase main

Looks clean. But D' is not D. Hash changed.

Git · which one

Merge or rebase. Depends who else is on this branch.

Merge
  • Use on main, develop, any shared branch
  • Use when someone else already pulled your commits
  • The org merges your PR. You don't rewrite their history
Rebase
  • Use on your own PR branch, sitting on your fork
  • Do it to sit on latest main before they review
  • Don't rebase commits other people already built on
Git · force

Force push overwrites GitHub.

You are telling the server: throw away what you have, take mine. Anyone who already pulled the old commits is now stuck.

GitHub before

Your teammate already pulled C.

After git push --force

Server has D. Your friend still has C. Their pull will fail.

Git · don't break the repo

Three rules. Write these down.

  1. 1
    Never force push main Not master. Not the org's default branch. Not someone else's branch. Ever.
  2. 2
    Your PR branch only, and use lease After a rebase on your own branch: git push --force-with-lease. It stops you if someone else pushed.
  3. 3
    If you see those angle brackets, Git paused Both of you changed the same lines. Fix the file, git add, then continue.
conflict · same file
<<<<<<< HEAD
print("hello")
=======
print("hi")
>>>>>>> feature

# delete the marks. keep the right code.
$ git add app.py
$ git rebase --continue
Git · abort

Merge or rebase going bad? Abort.

Abort means: stop, undo this attempt, put me back. It only works while Git is still in the middle.

Abort a merge
you ran git merge
$ git merge feature
CONFLICT (content): app.py
# too many fights. leave it.
$ git merge --abort

# back to before the merge
$ git status

Your branch looks like it did before you typed merge. The other branch is untouched.

Abort a rebase
you ran git rebase
$ git rebase main
CONFLICT (content): app.py
# this is a mess. stop.
$ git rebase --abort

# back to before the rebase
$ git status

Same idea. Rebase never happened. Don't mix them. Merge abort for merge. Rebase abort for rebase.

Issues

How to search for issues and make a PR

good first issue

or help wanted · documentation

→
Read fully

comments, linked PRs, last activity

→
Still open?

skip if stale or already taken

→
Comment first

"I can take this" + how

→
Wait for yes

then branch. not before.

Platforms: GitHub issues, goodfirstissue.dev, org idea lists. Still read the thread.

Your PR

Ways to make your contribution safe

  1. 1
    Use tested open source librariesFor common work. OpenZeppelin, npm libraries, etc. Don't reinvent crypto.
  2. 2
    Write proper commit messages and PR titlesAlways put details about the feature and the code change.
  3. 3
    Use testsFoundry, Hardhat, test suites. Battle test your code.
  4. 4
    Linting and security pluginsClean code. Maintainers notice this immediately.
  5. 5
    Scripts and tests for your featureIf they cannot run it, they will not merge it.
  6. 6
    Keep learning new toolsThis field moves. That is normal.
Sharing

Sharing is important

LinkedInShare your work regularly. Merged PR, write a short post.
Twitter / XShare content. A lot of opportunities show up here.
Be activeSocial media is not extra. Orgs and recruiters look.
SpeakShare your knowledge. Once you can raise a PR, you can explain it.

Target, then learn. Don't be afraid. Everything is possible. Without a project, your learning is nothing. https://mohitbhat.dev

Questions?

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Mohit Bhat · Founder, NodeRails · Wallcard

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