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I contribute to open source because it lets me learn while helping improve software that matters to me—and because the work is better when people build it together. Those reasons overlap, and they are personal rather than universal. Recent surveys point to similar themes among their respondents, but no statistic can explain every contributor’s choice.
I can learn by doing real work
Open-source projects can turn curiosity into practical learning. Reading an unfamiliar codebase, following a project’s conventions, and responding to review are ways to develop skills through a concrete task. Learning is not limited to programming: depending on the project, contributions can also involve documentation, testing, design, translation, or helping other users.
Learning and personal development were selected by 72% of the 661 respondents in the Linux Foundation’s 2024 World of Open Source survey’s contributor-motivation sample. That finding describes that survey sample, not all contributors. Google’s 2023 study of 517 international participants who worked on open source in their personal time also found that skill development was the leading reason among professionals and students.
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When a project solves a problem I care about—or software I use has a rough edge I can help fix—contributing gives me a way to participate in its improvement. A small change can be useful even if it is not a major feature: clearer instructions, a bug report with a reproducible example, or a focused fix can help the next person who encounters the same issue.
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In the Linux Foundation’s 2024 survey, 69% of the 661 respondents in its motivation sample selected involvement in a project they found fascinating and/or used regularly. GitHub’s Octoverse counted nearly 1 billion contributions to public and open-source repositories on GitHub in 2024, with 1.4 million developers newly joining open-source activity. Those are GitHub platform figures, not a global count; GitHub says its tally includes public projects without an OSI-approved license as well as licensed open-source projects.
I enjoy working with other people
Contributing is not only a way to change code. It can mean discussing a problem, learning from a maintainer’s review, helping a newcomer, or working with people who bring different experience to the same project. In the Linux Foundation’s 2024 motivation sample, 58% selected enjoyment in working with peers and the community. Google’s 2023 study found that networking and meeting other contributors was the leading reason among contributors in its sample.
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That community dimension is not automatic. Google’s study also surfaced a welcoming community, clear onboarding, and a code of conduct as important criteria when people chose projects. A project’s social environment can affect whether a first contribution feels possible and whether participation is sustainable.
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I do not see personal enjoyment, learning, project impact, and career development as competing explanations. A contribution can be interesting in its own right and also help build skills or relationships. Which benefit matters most can differ by person and role: in Google’s 2023 study, skill development led for professionals and students, networking for contributors, and the project’s importance for maintainers.
Security can also shape which project someone chooses, even when it is not the central reason to contribute. In GitHub’s 2024 Open Source Survey, 82% of respondents considered security important when deciding whether to use an open-source project, and 62% considered it when deciding whether to contribute. These are project-selection considerations reported by that survey, not measures of contributors’ overall motivation.
Motivation does not remove the barriers
Wanting to contribute does not guarantee having the time, resources, or information to do so. In the Linux Foundation’s 2024 survey, among the 661 respondents in its challenges sample, 63% cited lack of time due to personal commitments, 34% cited lack of funding or compensation, and 33% cited difficulty understanding project guidelines and contribution processes. The same report said 52% of its respondents were actively involved in open-source projects; contributors reported an average of about nine hours per week on open-source activities, with time commitments varying widely.
These figures are context, not a recommended workload. Contributing can be occasional or sustained, and a useful contribution need not mean taking on an ongoing commitment. Clear project instructions and a manageable first task can make it easier to turn interest into participation.
What keeps me contributing
For me, the appeal is the combination: learning something, helping improve a project I find worthwhile, and sharing the work with people who care about it too. The balance shifts from one contribution to another, and someone else may have a different reason—or several of them. Karl Fogel, author of Producing Open Source Software, captures the role of enjoyment in sustaining participation: “Participating in a successful free software project is a deep pleasure, and ultimately that’s what keeps the whole system going.”
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For readers interested in the human side of running and joining projects, Fogel’s book is available through its official site, which documents an online second edition and print purchase options.
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