Breaking Into Open Source This Summer? Start with OWASP BLT

#opensource #owasp #webdev #beginners

As summer approaches, open source sees a steady wave of new contributors.
Each year, developers explore repositories, review issues, and look for meaningful ways to get involved.

The challenge is rarely writing code. It is understanding the system well enough to contribute effectively.

This summer, OWASP BLT is participating in the Social Summer of Code (SSOC), a three-month program focused on open source contribution, learning, and collaboration. It brings together contributors from diverse backgrounds to work on real-world projects, submit pull requests, and actively engage with the open source ecosystem.

About OWASP BLT

OWASP BLT (Bug Logging Tool) is a community-driven OWASP project developing open source tools for vulnerability reporting, bug tracking, and security automation.

The project spans APIs, dashboards, applications, bots, and ongoing research under OWASP. This is designed to make security workflows more practical, structured, and accessible for developers and teams.

Ongoing Deletion Program

Alongside regular development, OWASP BLT is running an ongoing deletion initiative.

Contributors review the repository, identify unused or unnecessary files, and remove them. Each valid contribution is rewarded with $1.

This effort focuses on:

Supporting the ongoing migration to separate and more structured repositories
Maintaining a clean and efficient codebase
Improving long-term maintainability
Helping contributors understand the structure of a real-world project

It also provides a simple and practical entry point for those beginning their open source journey.

Contribution Opportunities During SSOC

As the program progresses, more areas of the project will be opened for contribution, including:

Clearly defined and beginner-friendly issues
Opportunities across different parts of the stack
Active collaboration within the community

Whether you are exploring open source for the first time or looking to contribute to security-focused tooling, OWASP BLT offers a structured and meaningful way to get involved.