My First Hacktoberfest: A Developer's Journey Into Open Source 🎃
Hello, DEV community! 👋
My name is Malik Putra, a developer from Indonesia 🇮🇩, and this is my very first post on DEV.to and what better way to start than with Hacktoberfest 2026!
Why I Decided to Join Hacktoberfest
Honestly? I've been coding for a while, using open source tools every single day frameworks, libraries, packages all built by people who decided to share their work with the world. But I'd never given anything back.
This October, I said: enough lurking. Time to contribute.
Hacktoberfest felt like the perfect on-ramp. A structured event, a welcoming community, and a clear goal: make meaningful pull requests and be part of something bigger than my own projects.
What I'm Going Into This With
I won't pretend I'm a seasoned open source contributor. Going into Hacktoberfest 2026, here's where I stand:
- 🛠️ I work mostly with web technologies and backend systems
- 🔍 I'm still learning how to navigate large, unfamiliar codebases
- 📝 I want to contribute code, documentation, and tests not just typo fixes
- 🌱 I believe every expert was once a beginner who dared to submit their first PR
What I'm Looking For in Projects
I'm drawn to projects that:
- Are actively maintained (recent commits, responsive maintainers)
- Solve real problems for developers or everyday users
If you have a project that fits this description and could use a fresh pair of eyes, drop it in the comments! I'd love to check it out.
Let's Do This Together
If you're also doing Hacktoberfest 2026 whether it's your first time or your fifth I'd love to connect. Share your goals, your project recommendations, or just say hi.
Here's to a month of learning, contributing, and growing together. 🚀
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