Open source’s October tradition returns

Hacktoberfest is back for 2021. The month-long event, organized by DigitalOcean, invites developers of all levels to contribute to open source projects throughout October. Participation is a chance to sharpen skills you may not use in your day job, collaborate on projects you actually rely on, and connect with other developers. Over the past year, GitHub has seen more than 2.2 billion contributions from over 65 million developers, and a dedicated month like this helps keep that momentum going.

Registration is open now at the official Hacktoberfest page. DigitalOcean handles the thank-you gifts for participants who meet the contribution criteria.

Getting started with your first pull request

Hacktoberfest is an especially friendly entry point for newcomers. The broader community ramps up guides, streams, and conversations throughout the month, so you won’t be learning in isolation. A few solid starting points:

Choosing a project to support

With more than 74,000 projects tagged for Hacktoberfest, filtering by language or topic on GitHub is the fastest way to narrow the field. Two approaches tend to work well:

  • Look at software you already use. A contribution to a familiar tool is often more meaningful and easier to scope.
  • Scan your own project’s dependencies for participants. Since projects must opt in, a #hacktoberfest tag signals that maintainers are actively welcoming new contributors.

A new way to give back: direct donations

This year Hacktoberfest also supports financial contributions. Maintainers are the backbone of the projects everyone relies on, and the event’s donation page integrates with both GitHub Sponsors and OpenCollective. It’s a simple way to thank a maintainer, and smaller projects with limited resources may benefit most from a few dollars added to their funding stream.

Join the community — remotely

Hacktoberfest doesn’t have to be a solo activity. Over 85 public virtual events are already listed, with more being added. Options include themed meetups and hack sessions that gather people across cities and countries, plus GitHub’s own virtual meetup. If live sessions aren’t your thing, Twitter Spaces and streaming channels like GitHub’s YouTube channel let you absorb the event in the background while you get other things done.

What’s new for maintainers

Maintainers are the focus of some notable changes in 2021. If you run a project, here’s what applies to you:

  • Opt in simply by adding the hacktoberfest topic to your repository; only opted-in projects count toward the event’s participation numbers.
  • Maintainers who accept valid Hacktoberfest pull requests can earn the same participation rewards (trees, tees, etc.) as contributors. Registration is still required.
  • Projects registered with GitHub Sponsors or OpenCollective appear on the donation page, making it easier for users who financially support you — and those finding you for the first time — to contribute.
  • DigitalOcean consulted an advisory council of maintainers to help shape this year’s approach.

Keeping the event spam-free

Pull requests that merely tweak punctuation or pad a repo with changes aren’t a contribution — they’re noise. The quality expectations are clear:

  • Only repositories tagged with the hacktoberfest topic count toward the event’s goals.
  • Review the quality standards on the Hacktoberfest site before you start.
  • Mistakes and learning curves are fine; spamming maintainers with meaningless PRs is not. Behind every project is a volunteer who deserves better than a pointless review request.

Whenever and however you choose to participate — code, documentation, support, donations, or events — Hacktoberfest is a useful reminder of what drives open source all year. Register, pick a project, and we’ll see you in the repositories.