Contributing to Discourse

Documentation Contributing
1

:bookmark: This is a guide on how to contribute to the Discourse open-source project in various ways including advocacy, design, documentation, translation, code contributions, bug reporting, and financial support.

:person_raising_hand: Required user level: Anyone can contribute!

Many passionate people often ask how they can give back to Discourse. The simple answer is, “You’re awesome! :heart:” and yes, there are many ways you can contribute.

Summary

In this documentation, we’ll cover:

  • Different ways you can give back to Discourse
  • Step-by-step guides on how to get involved
  • Best practices for each form of contribution
  • Solutions to common issues you may run into
  • Frequently asked questions about contributing

Everyone is welcome :raised_hands:

Discourse is an open-source project. Contrary to popular belief, contributing to an open-source project isn’t limited to coding. There are several other important areas where you can make a difference.

Advocacy :loudspeaker:

One of the best ways to support Discourse is by advocating for it. Talk about Discourse whenever you can, without being pushy.

Common Advocacy Methods

  • Meta’s Praise Category: Share your positive experiences with Discourse in the praise category. Also, consider reviewing Discourse on these 3rd party sites.
  • X (formerly Twitter): Use @discourse to share your community stories. We read all your posts.
  • Other social media: We may not have official accounts on other social platforms, but they’re still a great place to tell people about Discourse.
  • Meetups: Join or organize meetups through platforms like meetup.com. Discuss Discourse by connecting with people interested in topics like Ruby, JavaScript, and Open Source.

Design :art:

You can contribute to design by participating in ongoing ux or feature discussions. You can also create a theme or theme-component.

Documentation :scroll:

If you’re at trust level 2 or above, you can help by updating or creating documentation.

Documentation Categories

Translation :earth_africa:

If you speak multiple languages, contribute by translating Discourse.

Code :computer:

If you’re familiar with Rails and Ember.js or want to learn them, you can contribute code.

Bug Reports :bug:

If you encounter bugs, you can help by reporting them.

Money :moneybag:

If you or your organization has more financial resources than time, consider subscribing to our premium hosting service. We do not take donations, but paying for our hosted service goes directly to the same core team that develops Discourse.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know where to start?

With so many options, it can be daunting. Here’s some advice:

  • Read all the things: Start with the Top page to stay updated with major events.
  • Do the things you think people should be doing: If you think the community could benefit from something, go ahead and do it.

Can contributors get paid?

Yes, some contributions are paid either by the Discourse company or third parties. We encourage paid contributions but understand it’s not always possible. Regardless of how it happens, contributions should ideally be driven by intrinsic motivation and a desire to grow the Discourse project and community.

Additional Resources

Last edited by @hugh 2024-06-12T21:28:04Z

Last checked by @hugh 2024-06-11T02:08:22Z

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