Introduction to Open Source
Learn how to contribute to, create, and maintain open source projects!
Skill level
BeginnerTime to complete
Average based on combined completion rates — individual pacing in lessons, projects, and quizzes may vary<1 hourPrerequisites
None
About this course
Open source software enables anyone to contribute to projects, whether it’s code, documentation, or bug fixes. This course guides you through how open-source projects work, introduces you to GitHub, and shows you how to find and contribute to projects. You’ll learn about project documentation, licenses, and collaboration in a community-driven environment.
Skills you'll gain
Understand open-source project structure and documentation
Identify and contribute to meaningful issues in open source
Contribute through code, documentation, or bug reports
Syllabus
1 lesson • 4 quizzesCertificate of completion available with Plus or Pro
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What Is Open Source?
Think about the website you use the most often: Maybe it’s a social media site, a food delivery app, or a site you use for work. There are probably things you like about it. Maybe it’s nice to look at or really easy to use. But there are also probably some things that could be improved. Now, what if you could make those improvements yourself?
Unfortunately, this isn’t possible on most websites. The source code, or the code that was used to build the website, is very likely proprietary — meaning it was written by a certain company, and only the people who work for that company have permission to view and change it. But this isn’t always the case; that’s where open source comes in.
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Looking for something else?
Related resources
- Article
What is Open Source?
Learn about what open source is and why it's important! - Article
Why Open Source Your Project?
Learn about the benefits of making your project open source! - Article
Contributing to an Open Source Project on GitHub
Learn about the different ways you can contribute to an open source project!
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Practice Projects
Guided projects that help you solidify the skills and concepts you're learning.Assessments
Auto-graded quizzes and immediate feedback help you reinforce your skills as you learn.Certificate of Completion
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