My First Open Source PR — Done During Hacktoberfest 2025!

Prathamesh Thakre — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:58:23 +0000

Hey devs!
After years of building full stack apps, I finally checked off something that was long overdue — my first OSS contribution!

This happened during Hacktoberfest 2025, and I wanted to share the real journey — with all the steps, wins, and lessons for beginners or even pros who haven’t yet jumped into open source.

Even though I’ve been coding professionally for years, I never actively contributed to open source.

This October, I wanted to be more than a consumer. So I searched for beginner-friendly Java issues, and I found this gem:

JEP 507 - Primitive Types in Patterns, instanceof, and switch

Goal: Add a demo for a cool upcoming Java 25 feature

My Step-by-Step OSS Journey

Here’s the exact workflow I followed, in case it helps you replicate it!

1. Find a Good Issue

Look for repos with:

hacktoberfest
help wanted
Your language of interest

2. Fork + Clone

git fork https://github.com/AloisSeckar/demos-java.git
git clone <your-fork-url>
cd demos-java

3. Understand the Code

Before writing anything, I read:

The existing demo structure

CONTRIBUTING.md
JEP 507 details (super useful!)

4. Code the Demo

I built PrimitiveTypesDemo.java, which included:

instanceof with primitives
Record pattern narrowing
Pattern-based switch blocks (with guards and fallbacks)

Also added print statements so devs could easily understand what’s happening at runtime.

5. Push and PR

git checkout -b add-jep507-demo
git add .
git commit -m "Add JEP 507 demo: instanceof and switch with primitive types"
git push origin add-jep507-demo

Then raised the Pull Request

6. Link to Issue & Thank the Maintainer

Got it linked to the issue. Said thanks to the maintainer.
Small gestures go a long way in OSS!

What I Learned

It’s not as intimidating as it looks
Reading the issue & docs carefully saves time
You don’t need to “fix bugs” to contribute — demos/docs/tests count too!
Most OSS maintainers are super welcoming

Your Turn?

Thinking of contributing? Just start. Really.

Even if you’re experienced like me, or just beginning, Hacktoberfest is the perfect excuse to finally hit that “Create Pull Request” button.

Hit me up if you’re contributing or looking for beginner-friendly Java OSS — happy to collaborate or cheer you on!

DEV Community: Prathamesh Thakre

My First Open Source PR — Done During Hacktoberfest 2025!