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firstcontributions

firstcontributions/first-contributions

A beginner-oriented step-by-step tutorial that walks new contributors through forking, cloning, branching, committing and opening their first pull request.

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What is it?

First Contributions is a hands-on guide for people who have never contributed to an open source project. It walks through the standard fork, clone, branch, commit, push and pull request workflow using a practice repository where each contributor adds their name to a shared Contributors.md file.

The project covers the command-line steps with git and includes troubleshooting for common errors such as outdated git versions and push authentication failures. For readers who prefer graphical tools, it links to separate tutorials for GitHub Desktop, GitKraken, Sourcetree, IntelliJ IDEA, VS Code and Visual Studio.

The repository is available in many translated versions, and it points readers to further practice and to a web app that lists beginner-friendly projects to contribute to next.

Key features

  • 01Step-by-step fork, clone, branch, commit, push and pull request walkthrough
  • 02Practice contribution by adding your name to Contributors.md
  • 03Troubleshooting for common git and authentication errors
  • 04Separate tutorials for several GUI git clients and IDEs
  • 05Translations available in many languages

Use cases

  • A developer who has never submitted a pull request and wants a safe first attempt
  • A student or bootcamp group learning the standard open source contribution workflow
  • A teacher preparing a workshop on git and GitHub collaboration
  • A newcomer who prefers GUI tools and needs a tutorial for their specific client

Topics

#open-source#git#github#tutorial#beginner#pull-request#contribution#beginner-friendly#contribute#contributions-welcome

FAQ

What is first-contributions?
A beginner-oriented step-by-step tutorial that walks new contributors through forking, cloning, branching, committing and opening their first pull request. First Contributions is a hands-on guide for people who have never contributed to an open source project. It walks through the standard fork, clone, branch, commit, push and pull request workflow using a practice repository where each contributor adds their name to a shared Contributors.md file.
Is first-contributions free to use? What license does it have?
first-contributions is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is first-contributions still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to first-contributions was on Nov 6, 2026.
What can I use first-contributions for?
A developer who has never submitted a pull request and wants a safe first attempt A student or bootcamp group learning the standard open source contribution workflow A teacher preparing a workshop on git and GitHub collaboration A newcomer who prefers GUI tools and needs a tutorial for their specific client
Where can I get first-contributions?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/firstcontributions/first-contributions

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