🎉 Hello everyone. I'm very glad to receive an invitation from the Apache HertzBeat community and officially become a Committer of the project!
My Open Source Journey
As a senior undergraduate student, my interest in open source began in my sophomore year. However, early attempts were challenging—even getting projects to run smoothly was difficult, which once made me hesitant to dive deeper. That changed when I discovered HertzBeat in a tech community.
HertzBeat's detailed contribution guidelines significantly lowered the entry barrier. Thanks to those who paved the way, I got the project running in just a few steps. Its graphical interface helped me quickly grasp the business logic. Later, I watched Tom's introductory video on Bilibili, which deepened my understanding.
Starting with bug fixes, I gradually explored the codebase through breakpoint debugging and log analysis. What kept me motivated was the community's responsiveness—my first PR was merged on the same day, and my GitHub ID appeared in the contributors list the next morning. This positive feedback loop was incredibly encouraging.
Entry Points for Open Source Participation
For developers looking to contribute, here are my suggestions:
- Start from a user's perspective: Use the project first, then identify optimizations like UI improvements (pagination, fuzzy search). Even typo fixes are welcome!
- Technical debt treasure hunt: Search globally for
TODO/FIXMEcomments to uncover "hidden quests" left by predecessors. - Watch Issues/Discussions: Stay updated through GitHub subscriptions or community chats. Engage in discussions and tackle interesting problems.
- Documentation contributions: Fix typos, broken links, or missing translations—these are great starting points.
- Enhance testing: Add unit/E2E tests to improve coverage and project stability.
- Be proactive: Join developer groups, subscribe to mailing lists, or attend project meetings. Express your interests and align contributions with the project roadmap.
Personal Growth
Contributing to HertzBeat taught me the essence of geek culture—every line of code and detail is meticulously crafted, not just "good enough." This mindset has elevated my development skills.
Open source has also broadened my horizons. Previously, "Apache" only existed in my project dependencies. Through the community, I learned about the Apache Software Foundation's operations—and now I'm part of an ASF project myself!
Most importantly, I've connected with experts from diverse regions and industries. Their experiences are invaluable treasures to me.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you to the community and everyone who reviewed my code! Wishing Apache HertzBeat a successful graduation from the Apache Incubator and continued growth! 🚀