OpenVeda Playbook: freeCodeCamp

Your guide to contributing to one of the world's largest and most impactful learning platforms.

1. The "Why": Mission & Impact

• The Mission: freeCodeCamp is a non-profit organization that consists of an interactive learning web platform, an online community forum, chat rooms, online publications and local organizations that intend to make learning web development accessible to anyone.
• Your Impact: Your code will be used by millions of people every month who are learning to code for free. You can directly impact the educational journey of a massive global community.
• Why it's great for your career: "freeCodeCamp Contributor" is a highly respected title. It shows you are passionate about education and community. You will get hands-on experience with a large, modern web application built on React, Node.js, and Gatsby.

2. The "What": Tech Stack

• Curriculum & Main Platform: JavaScript, React, Gatsby.
• Backend & APIs: Node.js.
• Key Tools: GitHub for everything, and a very active Discourse forum for the community.

3. The "How": Your Onboarding Journey

3.1: Join the Community

• Primary Channel (Forum): The main hub for the community.
  • Link: The freeCodeCamp Forum
• Secondary Channel (Discord): For real-time chat with other contributors.
  • Link: Join the freeCodeCamp Discord

3.2: The Setup Guide

• Official Guide: freeCodeCamp has one of the most detailed and well-written contribution guides on the internet.
  • Link: How to Contribute to freeCodeCamp
• OpenVeda Pro-Tip: Follow their guide for "Set up freeCodeCamp locally." It is very precise. The Docker-based setup is the most reliable.

3.3: The Contribution Workflow

• Official Guide: They use a standard GitHub PR workflow, but with a very high emphasis on following their style guides and testing procedures.
  • Link: The full contribution workflow is detailed in their guide.

4. Mentorship & Focus Areas

• Focus: Contributions are welcome across their entire platform, from fixing bugs in the curriculum's coding challenges, to improving the UI of the main learning platform, to translating content into different languages.
• What Mentors Look For: Attention to detail and a passion for their mission. You MUST follow their contribution guide exactly. They are very focused on maintaining a high standard of quality.

5. Key Repositories to Know

• Main Monorepo: github.com/freeCodeCamp/freeCodeCamp - The main platform and curriculum.

6. Find Your First Task Right Now

• The Golden Link: They maintain an excellent "good first issue" label for newcomers.
  • Link: "good first issue" tag on GitHub
• Help Wanted: Issues labeled "help wanted" are also great places to start.

7. The Unwritten Rules (Mentor Insights)

• Follow the Guide Religiously: Their contribution guide is not a suggestion; it is the law. Read it, and then read it again. 99% of rejected PRs are from people who did not follow the guide.
• Start with a Small Bug: The best way to get started is to find a very small, well-defined bug and fix it perfectly. This proves to the maintainers that you are a serious and careful contributor.
• Translation is a Valued Contribution: If you are fluent in another language, translating their curriculum is an incredibly valuable way to contribute that doesn't require deep coding skills.