Hacktoberfest 2025: Beginner’s Guide to Open Source Contributions

I. The Hacktoberfest Phenomenon: A Celebration of Open Source

Hacktoberfest stands as a cornerstone event in the annual calendar of the global software development community. It is a month-long celebration of open-source software, meticulously designed to foster collaboration, encourage participation, and strengthen the very foundations of the digital infrastructure upon which the modern world relies. This section will explore the event’s core mission, its evolution in response to community feedback, and its significant role as a gateway for new contributors to the open-source ecosystem.

1.1. Defining Hacktoberfest: More Than Just a Challenge

At its heart, Hacktoberfest is an annual event spearheaded by DigitalOcean and its partners, taking place throughout the month of October. Its primary objective is to encourage and celebrate contributions to open-source projects hosted on platforms like GitHub and GitLab. It brings together a diverse global community, from seasoned maintainers to first-time contributors, to collaborate on the software that powers countless applications and services.

The fundamental “why” behind Hacktoberfest is the principle of giving back to the ecosystem. A significant portion of modern technology, including commercial products from major corporations like DigitalOcean itself, is built upon open-source projects. These projects are often developed and maintained by passionate individuals and small teams who may lack substantial budgets or staffing. Hacktoberfest provides a structured and highly visible opportunity for the wider community to contribute improvements, fix bugs, and enhance the tools they use daily, thereby ensuring the health and sustainability of this vital ecosystem.

The event is guided by a clear set of values that emphasize inclusivity and impact. The first value, “Everyone is welcome,” underscores that participants from all backgrounds and skill sets are invited to join, whether they are coders or non-coders. The second, “Quantity is fun, quality is key,” prioritizes meaningful contributions that lead to personal growth and community building over sheer volume. Finally, “Short-term action, long-term impact” recognizes that contributions made during October have a lasting effect on technology and the people who build it, helping to shape the future of the internet.

Beyond its celebratory nature, Hacktoberfest serves a critical, strategic function. The open-source world often faces challenges with maintainer burnout and a continuous need for new talent. Hacktoberfest operates as a large-scale talent pipeline, systematically lowering the barrier to entry for newcomers. It provides a time-bound, incentivized framework that helps individuals overcome the initial intimidation of making their first public contribution. This annual influx of energy and new perspectives is vital for the long-term sustainability of thousands of projects.

1.2. The Evolution of Hacktoberfest: Prioritizing Quality over Quantity

In its early years, the immense popularity of Hacktoberfest gave rise to an unintended consequence often referred to as “Spamtoberfest”. A significant number of participants, motivated primarily by the prospect of receiving a free t-shirt, submitted low-quality or spammy pull requests (PRs). These contributions, such as fixing minor typos, removing whitespace, or making other trivial changes, often created more work for project maintainers than they provided value, leading some to describe the phenomenon as “T-Shirt Driven Development”.

In response to this challenge and direct feedback from the maintainer community, the event organizers have progressively adapted the rules to improve the quality of contributions. A pivotal change was the introduction of an opt-in system for project maintainers. For a contribution to be valid, the target repository must now be explicitly tagged with the hacktoberfest topic, or the maintainer must add a hacktoberfest-accepted label to the specific pull request. This ensures that contributions are directed only to projects that are actively seeking and prepared for them, transforming PRs from a potential hindrance into a genuine help.

This evolution also extended to the event’s reward philosophy. The practice of providing a free t-shirt to all participants who completed the challenge became logistically and financially unsustainable as the event grew to over 146,000 participants. Citing these logistical hurdles and a desire to refocus the budget on the event’s core mission, organizers shifted toward a tiered reward system. The primary reward is now a digital one, while physical swag like t-shirts is reserved for a limited number of participants, often on a first-come, first-served basis. This recalibration deliberately shifts the focus from extrinsic rewards (swag) to the intrinsic benefits of participation: skill enhancement, portfolio development, and community engagement. The gamification of the top prize incentivizes early and high-quality participation while ensuring that all who complete the challenge receive formal recognition.

This maturation of the rules and rewards has had a significant downstream effect. By reducing the burden of spam on maintainers, the new system encourages more projects to participate and allows maintainers to dedicate their limited time to mentoring genuine newcomers. This creates a positive feedback loop: high-quality projects attract more serious beginners, which leads to more meaningful contributions and a healthier, more productive experience for the entire community.

Key Information

• Details for Hacktoberfest 2025
• Event Duration: October 1 – October 31
• Registration Window: September 15 – October 31
• Official Website: hacktoberfest.com
• Contribution Goal: 6 accepted Pull/Merge Requests
• Primary Reward: Leveled-up Holopin Digital Badge
• Bonus Reward: T-shirt for the first 10,000 finishers who complete the 6 PR/MR challenge, plus a tree planted in their name

II. Your First Foray into Open Source: A Step-by-Step Participation Guide

This section provides a comprehensive, chronological guide to participating in Hacktoberfest 2025. It covers the essential preparatory steps, the official rules of engagement, and a detailed walkthrough of the technical workflow required to make a successful contribution.

2.1. Pre-flight Check: Getting Your Tools Ready

Before the event begins, it is essential to have the necessary tools and accounts set up.

• Create a GitHub or GitLab Account: Participation in Hacktoberfest is tracked through contributions made on GitHub or GitLab. Therefore, having an active account on at least one of these platforms is a mandatory prerequisite. Creating an account is free and straightforward.
• Install and Configure Git: Git is the version control system that powers both GitHub and GitLab. It must be installed on your local machine to work on projects. Installation instructions vary by operating system:
  • Linux (Debian/Ubuntu): $sudo apt install git
  • Linux (Fedora/RHEL): $dnf install git
  • macOS (with Homebrew): $brew install git
  • Windows (with Winget): $winget install –id Git.Git -e –source winget

  After installation, Git must be configured with a name and email address. These details are attached to every commit and are crucial for identifying contributors. Use the following commands in your terminal:

  • $git config –global user.name “Your Name”
  • $git config –global user.email “your.email@example.com”

2.2. Official Registration and Timeline

Participation is not automatic; contributors must officially register for the event.

• Registration Process: Navigate to the official Hacktoberfest website, hacktoberfest.com, and register by connecting your GitHub or GitLab account. This allows the platform to track your contributions throughout October. The registration window opens on September 15 and closes on October 31.
• Key Dates: The official period for making contributions runs from October 1 to October 31. The event officially begins with a virtual kickoff celebration, providing an opportunity to connect with the global community.

2.3. The Rules of Engagement: Understanding Valid Contributions for 2025

To ensure contributions are meaningful and recognized, participants must adhere to a specific set of rules. These rules are not merely bureaucratic hurdles; they are a codified lesson in open-source etiquette, teaching the fundamental principles of respectful and effective collaboration.

• The 6 PR/MR Requirement: The goal for Hacktoberfest 2025 is to have six of your pull requests (PRs) or merge requests (MRs) accepted by project maintainers.
• Eligible Repositories: Contributions will only count toward your total if they are made to repositories that have explicitly opted into Hacktoberfest. This means the repository must either have the hacktoberfest topic applied to it, or a maintainer must add the hacktoberfest-accepted label to your specific PR/MR. This is the most critical rule to understand to avoid making contributions that will not be counted.
• Quality Contributions: The event prioritizes quality. Low-effort contributions, such as those generated by scripts to fix typos or remove whitespace, are explicitly discouraged and may be marked as spam by maintainers. Any user with two or more PR/MRs marked as spam will be disqualified. A meaningful contribution adds value to the project.
• The 7-Day Review Period: After a PR/MR is accepted by a maintainer (e.g., merged or labeled hacktoberfest-accepted), it enters a seven-day review period.

This window allows the system to validate the contribution and gives maintainers time to flag any spam that may have been inadvertently accepted. The PR/MR will officially count toward your total only after this period has passed successfully.

2.4. The Contributor’s Workflow: From Fork to Pull Request

The standard workflow for contributing to an open-source project can seem complex to a newcomer, but it is fundamentally a safety mechanism. It de-risks the contribution process by allowing you to experiment freely in a personal copy of the project without any danger of damaging the original codebase.

• Step 1: Forking the Repository: A “fork” is a personal copy of a project’s repository that lives in your own GitHub or GitLab account. To create one, navigate to the original project’s page and click the “Fork” button.
• Step 2: Cloning Your Fork: To work on the project files, you must download a copy of your fork to your local computer. This is done using the git clone command. Copy the URL from the “Code” button on your forked repository’s page and run the following in your terminal:$git clone <repository-url>
• Step 3: Creating a New Branch: It is a critical best practice to create a new branch for each distinct piece of work. This isolates your changes and makes it easier for maintainers to review them. A new branch can be created and switched to with a single command:$git checkout -b <new-branch-name>
• Step 4: Making and Committing Changes: Once you have made your changes to the code or documentation, you must “commit” them. This is a two-step process that saves a snapshot of your work. First, you “stage” the files you want to include, and then you commit them with a descriptive message.$git add . (This stages all changed files in the current directory.)
  $git commit -m "A clear and descriptive commit message"
• Step 5: Pushing to Your Fork: After committing your changes locally, you must “push” them up to your remote fork on GitHub or GitLab. This uploads your new branch and its commits.$git push origin <new-branch-name>
• Step 6: Opening the Pull Request: With your branch pushed to your fork, you can now open a pull request. This is a formal request to the maintainers of the original project to “pull” your changes into their codebase. On GitHub or GitLab, a prompt will often appear on your forked repository’s page to start this process. When creating the PR, write a clear title and a detailed description that explains what you changed and why, ideally linking to the issue number that your PR resolves.

Command	Description
git clone [url]	Download a copy of a remote repository to your computer.
git checkout -b [branch-name]	Create a new, isolated workspace (a branch) for your changes.
git status	Check the current state of your files and see what changes are staged.
git add .	Stage all of your changed files, preparing them to be saved in a commit.
git commit -m "[message]"	Save your staged changes as a new snapshot with a descriptive message.
git push origin [branch-name]	Upload your committed changes from your local branch to your remote fork.

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III. The Beginner’s Playbook: Strategies for a Successful Hacktoberfest

Beyond the technical steps of forking and cloning, a successful Hacktoberfest experience hinges on strategic project selection and effective community engagement. This section provides a playbook for newcomers to find suitable tasks, make valuable contributions, and interact productively with the open-source community.

3.1. Finding Your First Project: Where to Look

The first challenge for any beginner is finding an appropriate project and task. Fortunately, a robust ecosystem of tools and conventions exists to simplify this process.

• Using Platform Search: Both GitHub and GitLab have powerful search functionalities. The most effective way to find participating projects is to search for the hacktoberfest topic directly on these platforms. This search can be further refined by filtering for specific programming languages (e.g., “hacktoberfest javascript”) to match your skillset.
• Leveraging Curated Platforms: Several websites are dedicated to aggregating beginner-friendly issues from across the open-source landscape. These are invaluable resources for newcomers:
  • Good First Issue: Platforms like goodfirstissue.dev and goodfirstissues.com specifically curate issues that maintainers have marked as suitable for people making their first contribution.
  • Up For Grabs: This site aggregates projects with tasks that are explicitly available for any contributor to take on.
  • First Timers Only: A resource that guides beginners through the contribution workflow and highlights issues reserved exclusively for first-time contributors.
• Decoding Issue Labels: Project maintainers use a system of labels to organize their issues. For beginners, the most important labels to look for are good first issue, help-wanted, beginner-friendly, or hacktoberfest. These labels are a direct signal from the maintainers that the task is well-defined and suitable for someone unfamiliar with the project.

While these curated platforms are excellent starting points, their popularity means that during October, the easiest issues can be claimed very quickly, which can lead to frustration. A more advanced and often more rewarding strategy is to find a project you genuinely use or are passionate about. By using the software, you may identify a bug or an area for improvement yourself. Proposing a new, well-researched issue and then offering to fix it demonstrates a deeper level of engagement and is highly valued by maintainers.

3.2. Thinking Beyond Code: The Value of Non-Code Contributions

A common misconception is that open-source contribution is limited to writing code. Hacktoberfest explicitly welcomes participants of all skills, and non-code contributions are equally vital to a project’s success.

For a beginner, non-code contributions can serve as a strategic entry point. Tackling a complex coding issue in an unfamiliar project can be daunting. By contrast, improving a project’s documentation forces a contributor to read and understand how the project works, providing a low-risk path to gaining the familiarity and confidence needed to later take on a technical task.

• Technical Writing: A project’s documentation is its lifeblood. Contributions can include clarifying installation steps, fixing typos, writing new tutorials, or creating detailed case studies.
• Design and UX: Many projects, particularly those run by backend-focused developers, benefit greatly from design expertise. This can involve creating a new logo, improving the user interface (UI) of an application, or conducting user experience (UX) testing to identify pain points.
• Translation and Localization: Making a project accessible to a global audience is a high-impact contribution. Translating documentation or application text into other languages significantly broadens a project’s reach.

3.3. Contribution Etiquette: How to Be a Great Community Member

Technical skill is only one part of being a successful open-source contributor. Adhering to community norms and communicating effectively is just as important.

• Read the Documentation First: Before writing a single line of code, take the time to read the project’s key governance documents. These typically include:
  • README.md: Provides an overview of the project.
  • CONTRIBUTING.md: Outlines the specific rules and workflow for making contributions.
  • CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md: Defines the standards for respectful interaction within the community.
• Communicate Your Intent: On a chosen issue, it is good practice to leave a comment stating your intention to work on it. This prevents multiple people from working on the same task simultaneously and allows the maintainer to provide initial guidance.
• Engage with Maintainers Respectfully: When asking for help, be clear and provide as much context as possible. Be patient and receptive to feedback on your pull request. Open-source communities are built on mutual respect and constructive collaboration.
• Submit a High-Quality Pull Request: A well-formed PR makes the review process much easier for maintainers. It should have a clear, concise title, a detailed description of the changes made, and a link back to the issue it resolves (e.g., “Closes #123”).

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IV. Hacktoberfest in Nepal: A Local Contributor’s Guide

For participants in Nepal, Hacktoberfest offers a unique opportunity to connect with the local tech community and contribute to projects with regional relevance. This section provides specific guidance on local events and the Nepali open-source landscape.

4.1.

Local Events and Communities: Connecting with Nepali Developers

Engaging with a local community can significantly enhance the Hacktoberfest experience, providing mentorship, collaboration opportunities, and a shared sense of purpose.

• NepTech Tribe Hacktoberfest 2025

  A key event for the Nepali community is the “NepTech Tribe Hacktoberfest 2025.” This is a digital, month-long celebration running from October 1 to October 31, organized by the non-profit organization NepTech Tribe. The event is explicitly open to contributors of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals, and aims to foster innovation and collaboration within the global open-source community. Active participants have the chance to win exclusive swag and gifts, making it a central hub for local Hacktoberfest activities. NepTech Tribe is an established community organization in Nepal, known for its work in promoting digital literacy and cyber awareness, particularly among youth in regions like Bhairahawa.

• Other Developer Communities

  Beyond this specific event, Nepal has a growing number of tech communities that may serve as informal hubs for Hacktoberfest. Organizations like OpenSource Nepal and various university-affiliated FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) clubs in cities like Kathmandu and Chitwan are excellent places to connect with other developers and find potential collaborators.

Contributing to Nepali Open Source Projects

Contributing to projects developed by and for the Nepali community can be particularly rewarding. These projects often solve local problems and provide a chance to work with familiar concepts.

• Spotlight on OpenSource Nepal

  The OpenSource Nepal organization on GitHub hosts several high-quality projects that are highly relevant to Nepali developers. Key projects include:

  • django-nepali: A Django package for handling Nepali date and time functionalities.
  • go-nepali: A Go library providing similar date and time conversion features.
  • node-nepali-datetime: A Node.js package for native JavaScript-like support for Nepali dates.

  These projects address a specific need within the Nepali software development landscape and offer an excellent opportunity to contribute to the local ecosystem.

  The Critical “Hacktoberfest” Topic Check

  This is the most important piece of guidance for any Nepali participant wishing to contribute to local projects. While these projects are valuable, contributions to them will only count toward the official Hacktoberfest challenge if the repositories are opted-in. Based on a review of the project repositories, prominent OpenSource Nepal projects like django-nepali, go-nepali, and node-nepali-datetime do not currently have the hacktoberfest topic applied. This means that, by default, PRs to these repositories will not be counted unless a maintainer manually adds the hacktoberfest-accepted label.

  This apparent disconnect between the local open-source scene and the global event presents a unique opportunity for proactive community engagement. Instead of being a dead end, it allows a participant to take on a community-building role. A contributor could open an issue in an opensource-nepal repository and politely ask the maintainers if they would consider adding the hacktoberfest topic for the month of October. This act of bridging the gap between the local and global communities is, in itself, a valuable open-source contribution that would benefit not only the individual but every other Nepali developer looking to participate.

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The Spoils of Contribution: A Comprehensive Guide to Hacktoberfest Perks

While the primary motivations for participating in Hacktoberfest are skill development and community engagement, the rewards and swag offered by organizers and partner companies add an element of fun and recognition. This section details the official and unofficial perks available in 2025.

The Official 2025 Reward Tiers

The official reward structure for Hacktoberfest is designed to be inclusive while also incentivizing high-quality, early participation. This tiered model is a sophisticated solution that balances motivation, logistical sustainability, and quality control.

• The Foundation: Holopin Digital Badge

  The core reward for all successful participants is a customizable digital badge provided by Holopin. Upon registration, participants receive an initial badge. This badge then “levels up” with each of the six required pull/merge requests that are accepted, providing a dynamic and shareable record of their achievement.

• The Grand Prize: The T-Shirt and Tree

  For 2025, the highly coveted Hacktoberfest t-shirt makes a return, but with a competitive twist. It will be awarded only to the first 10,000 contributors who successfully complete the challenge of six accepted PR/MRs. In addition to the t-shirt, a tree will be planted in the name of each of these finishers through a partnership with TreeNation, adding an eco-friendly incentive. This approach gamifies the top prize, encouraging participants to start early and focus on making quality contributions that can be accepted quickly.

The Wider World of Swag: Company-Specific Rewards

Many technology companies leverage Hacktoberfest as an opportunity for developer marketing and community engagement. They participate by offering their own branded swag to individuals who contribute to their specific open-source projects.

When a company offers its own Hacktoberfest campaign, it signals a strong investment in its open-source ecosystem and a desire to attract new talent. For contributors, targeting these projects can be a strategic move, as they are often well-maintained, have clear guidelines, and can lead to valuable networking opportunities with potential employers.

• Finding Swag Opportunities

  The best way to discover these company-specific campaigns is through community-curated resources. The website hacktoberfest-swag.com maintains a list of verified companies offering rewards, detailing what is offered and the specific contribution requirements.

• Examples of Company Campaigns

  The requirements and rewards vary significantly between companies. For example, one company might offer a sticker pack for a single valid PR, while another might require multiple, more complex contributions to earn a t-shirt or other high-value items.

Provider	Reward(s)	Contribution Requirement	Source/More Info
DigitalOcean (Official)	Digital Badge, T-Shirt + Tree (First 10,000)	6 accepted PR/MRs	hacktoberfest.com
ServiceNow	Shirt, Other	6 accepted PRs to eligible ServiceNow repositories	hacktoberfest-swag.com
Cloudinary	Shirt, Stickers, Other	1 valid PR to a Cloudinary open-source project	hacktoberfest-swag.com
MindsDB	Laptop, Shirt, Other	Create AI apps powered by MindsDB’s Knowledge Bases	hacktoberfest-swag.com
devICT	Stickers	2 accepted PRs to qualifying Wichita projects	hacktoberfest-swag.com
ballerina	Swag (unspecified)	Collect credits through contributions and exchange for swag	hacktoberfest-swag.com

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Beyond October: Continuing Your Open Source Journey

Hacktoberfest is best viewed not as a one-month sprint, but as a launchpad for a sustained and rewarding journey in the world of open source. The skills, connections, and confidence gained during the event can be leveraged to build a lasting presence in the community and advance a developer’s career.

From Contributor to Community Member

The end of October should not be the end of your contributions. The real value of Hacktoberfest is realized when it serves as the beginning of a long-term relationship with the open-source community.

• Building a Public Portfolio

  Consistent contributions to open-source projects create a powerful public portfolio on a GitHub or GitLab profile. This transparent record of technical skill, collaboration, and initiative is a highly valuable asset that can be showcased to potential employers, often carrying more weight than a traditional resume.

• Deepening Project Engagement

  Instead of moving on after October, consider staying engaged with one or two of the projects you contributed to. Continue to monitor issues, participate in discussions, and offer to review pull requests from other contributors. This transition from a one-time contributor to a trusted community member is how deep expertise and influence are built.

• Networking and Mentorship

  Open source provides unparalleled access to a global network of talented and experienced developers. By actively participating in a project’s community (e.g., on Discord, Slack, or in GitHub discussions), you can learn from experts, find mentors, and build professional relationships that can last a lifetime.

Next Steps in Your Journey

Hacktoberfest is one of many opportunities to engage with the open-source world. The momentum gained can be channeled into other structured programs and long-term goals.

• Exploring Other Programs

  For those looking for more intensive, long-term contribution experiences, several prestigious programs exist. These include Google Summer of Code (GSoC), a paid summer internship with open-source organizations; Outreachy, which provides paid internships to people from groups underrepresented in tech; and various events and fellowships run by Major League Hacking (MLH).

• The Path to Maintainership

  A long-term aspiration for any dedicated contributor is to eventually become a maintainer.

This can involve starting your own open-source project to solve a problem you are passionate about or, over time, earning the trust of an existing project’s leadership to take on more responsibility.

• Embracing the Spirit of Open Source: Ultimately, the most successful open-source journeys are driven by a genuine passion for collaboration and a desire to build better technology together. Every contribution, whether it’s a single line of code, a piece of documentation, or a helpful comment in a discussion, is a valuable part of the collective effort that builds and sustains the digital commons. Hacktoberfest is the perfect first step on this rewarding path.