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Platformโญ Essential
GitHub
The world's largest open-source platform. 100M+ developers. Host your code, collaborate, and discover millions of projects. THE place to start.
Code HostingCollaborationFree
Visit github.com โ
GitLab
An open-source alternative to GitHub โ GitLab itself is open source! Great for DevOps with built-in CI/CD pipelines.
Open SourceDevOpsCI/CD
Visit gitlab.com โ
Codeberg
A non-profit, community-driven alternative to GitHub. No tracking, no corporate ownership. Run by volunteers in Germany.
Non-ProfitPrivacyCommunity
Visit codeberg.org โ
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Learnโญ Essential
freeCodeCamp
Learn to code for FREE! 10,000+ hours of tutorials. HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and more. Completely free โ and it's open source itself!
FreeWeb DevPythonCertificates
Visit freecodecamp.org โ
Khan Academy
Free world-class education for anyone, anywhere. Computing courses teach HTML, CSS, JS, SQL, and algorithms with interactive exercises.
FreeVideo LessonsInteractive
Visit khanacademy.org โ
The Odin Project
A free full-stack web development curriculum. Teaches you to build real projects with Ruby, JavaScript, Node.js. Very hands-on!
Full StackJavaScriptProjects
Visit theodinproject.com โ
Learn Git Branching
The best interactive tutorial for learning Git! Visual, gamified, and fun. Essential skill for any open-source contributor.
GitInteractiveVisual
Visit learngitbranching.js.org โ
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Linuxโญ Best for Beginners
Linux Mint
The most beginner-friendly Linux distribution. Looks familiar, works out of the box, runs on old hardware. This is where most people should start!
BeginnerStableFree
Visit linuxmint.com โ
Zorin OS
Looks like Windows or macOS โ perfect for switchers! Education Edition comes pre-loaded with 20+ learning apps. Beautiful and easy.
Windows-LikeEducationBeautiful
Visit zorin.com โ
Ubuntu
The most popular Linux distribution worldwide. Huge community, tons of tutorials, and it powers most cloud servers. "Linux for Human Beings."
PopularCloudCommunity
Visit ubuntu.com โ
Fedora
Cutting-edge Linux with the latest technologies. Sponsored by Red Hat. Great for developers who want the newest features. Linus Torvalds uses Fedora!
Cutting-EdgeDeveloperRed Hat
Visit fedoraproject.org โ
๐ฑ
Contributeโญ Start Here
First Timers Only
Curated list of beginner-friendly open-source projects. If you've never contributed before, this is your starting line!
BeginnerFirst PRCurated
Visit firsttimersonly.com โ
Up For Grabs
Browse projects specifically looking for new contributors. Filter by language, label, and project. Perfect for finding your first "good first issue."
Good First IssueFilter by Language
Visit up-for-grabs.net โ
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Contribute๐ฐ Paid!
Google Summer of Code
Get PAID to contribute to open source! Google pays students to work on real projects during summer. The #1 launchpad for open-source careers.
Paid StipendMentorshipSummer
Visit GSoC โ
Hacktoberfest
Every October, contribute to open source and earn prizes! A month-long celebration of open source by DigitalOcean. Great for motivation!
OctoberPrizesAnnual
Visit hacktoberfest.com โ
Choose a License
Not sure which open-source license to use? This GitHub-made tool helps you pick the right one with simple questions and comparisons.
LicensesMITGPL
Visit choosealicense.com โ
VS Code / VSCodium
The world's most popular code editor. Supports every language, thousands of extensions. VSCodium is the fully open-source version without telemetry.
Code EditorExtensionsFree
Visit vscodium.com โ
Ollama
Run AI models locally on your computer! DeepSeek, Llama, Mistral โ all free, private, and offline. One command to install any model.
Local AIPrivateFree
Visit ollama.com โ
Hugging Face
The GitHub of AI! 500,000+ free models, datasets, and demos. The central hub for open-source AI development.
ModelsDatasetsCommunity
Visit huggingface.co โ
Linux Foundation
The home of Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and hundreds of open-source projects. Offers free courses and certifications!
FoundationCoursesCertifications
Visit linuxfoundation.org โ
Open Source Initiative (OSI)
The organization that defines and promotes open-source standards. They maintain the Open Source Definition and approve licenses.
StandardsLicensesDefinition
Visit opensource.org โ
Stack Overflow
The world's largest Q&A; site for developers. 58M+ questions answered. Whatever your problem, someone has already solved it here.
Q&A;Help58M+ Answers
Visit stackoverflow.com โ
Arduino
The world's most popular open-source electronics platform. Build robots, sensors, smart gadgets! Perfect for kids and beginners.
ElectronicsRoboticsBeginner
Visit arduino.cc โ
Raspberry Pi
A tiny, affordable computer ($35!) that can do almost anything. Media center, game console, weather station, robot brain โ the possibilities are endless.
Mini Computer$35Projects
Visit raspberrypi.org โ
Scratch
Learn programming by dragging colorful blocks! Create games, animations, and stories. Made by MIT. 100+ million kids use it worldwide.
Block CodingGamesMIT
Visit scratch.mit.edu โ
Code.org
Learn to code with fun game-like tutorials! The "Hour of Code" is the perfect introduction to programming for absolute beginners.
Hour of CodeBeginnerFun
Visit code.org โ
OpenStreetMap
The free map of the entire world, built by volunteers. Contribute by mapping your neighborhood! Used by thousands of apps and organizations.
MapsVolunteerGlobal
Visit openstreetmap.org โ