OpenVeda Playbook: Zulip

Your definitive guide to contributing to a powerful, modern, open-source team chat application.

1. The "Why": Mission & Impact

• The Mission: Zulip is an open-source team chat app that combines the immediacy of real-time chat with the productivity benefits of topic-based threaded conversations, helping teams stay organized.
• Why it's great for your career: Zulip is famous for its incredible documentation and its welcoming, mentor-driven community. It is arguably one of the best places on the internet to learn full-stack web development in a real-world setting. You'll get hands-on experience with a large Python/Django backend and a modern React/TypeScript frontend.

2. The "What": Tech Stack

• Core Backend: Python 3 using the Django framework.
• Core Frontend: JavaScript and TypeScript using React.
• Database: PostgreSQL.
• Key Tools: GitHub for source code, and their own Zulip server for all community communication.

3. The "How": Your Onboarding Journey

3.1: Join the Community

• Primary Channel (Zulip Chat): All development discussion happens on their own platform. This is a non-negotiable first step.
  • Link: Join the Zulip Development Community Server
• Your First Action: Introduce yourself in the #new-members stream. The community is very structured and will guide you.

3.2: The Setup Guide

• Official Guide: Zulip's documentation for setting up the development environment is legendary for its quality, detail, and reliability.
  • Link: Zulip's Guide to setting up a dev environment
• OpenVeda Pro-Tip: Follow their guide exactly. Do not take shortcuts. If you are on Linux or macOS, the setup process is almost completely automated and incredibly smooth.

3.3: The Contribution Workflow

• Official Guide: Their guide for new contributors is a masterpiece. Read it from start to finish before writing any code.
  • Link: Guide for New Contributors
• Key Point: Zulip has a strong culture of using git correctly. Their guide on git is worth reading for any developer.

4. GSoC History & Focus Areas

• Historical Focus: Zulip is a regular and highly organized GSoC participant. Projects often focus on improving the user experience, adding new message formatting features, enhancing integrations, and improving the mobile apps.
• What Mentors Look For: Attention to detail and a willingness to learn. They want to see that you've read their documentation. A key way to get noticed is to make 2-3 small, high-quality contributions before the application period. They track this!

5. Key Repositories to Know

• Main Server & Web App: github.com/zulip/zulip
• Desktop App: github.com/zulip/zulip-desktop
• Mobile App: github.com/zulip/zulip-mobile

6. Find Your First Task Right Now

• The Golden Link: Zulip maintains an excellent, well-curated list of issues for beginners.
  • Link: Issues with a "good first issue" label
• Pro-Tip: Zulip's issues are often incredibly detailed, explaining exactly what needs to be done and which files need to be changed. They are perfect for learning.

7. The Unwritten Rules (Mentor Insights)

• Read The Docs: The answer to 95% of questions is in their documentation. Mentors will often link you to the relevant doc page. Show that you've done your homework.
• Commit History Matters: Zulip cares about clean, well-formatted commit messages. Follow their git guide.
• Quality Over Quantity: A single, perfect PR for a small issue is valued far more than multiple rushed PRs.