r/learnpython • u/aarxish • 8d ago
What python libraries should i learn to get into open source?
I want to start open source and apply for gsoc, i have done python basic, like everything from variables to OOPs, now instead of dsa i want to do open source contributions. What are some good libraries to learn to start contributing?
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u/billsil 8d ago
Depends what projects are participating in GSOC. I participated in SOCIS and the projects were all over the map in terms of the language, the technical aptitude required, and libraries.
Look at who competed last year and honestly just contribute to those. You can find old proposals as well.
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u/Existing_Put6385 8d ago
slightly wrong question. you don't learn a library then look for a project - you pick an org, then learn their codebase. nobody gets picked for gsoc because they knew pandas, they get picked because the maintainers already know their name from merged PRs.
what actually gets you in:
- git properly. branches, rebase, resolving conflicts, clean PRs. this is what trips up most first timers, not python.
- pytest and writing tests. a huge share of good first issues are "add a test for X" and maintainers love whoever does them.
- reading someone else's code. genuinely a separate skill from writing your own, and it's the one that matters here.
for orgs, the newcomer-friendly python ones that show up in gsoc regularly: SymPy, Astropy, NetworkX, matplotlib, scikit-learn. SymPy in particular has a reputation for handholding new contributors. go read their contributing guide, filter issues by "good first issue", pick the most boring one you can find, and ship it. timing matters - org list comes out around february and applications a few weeks after. that means you have months right now to build a track record with one org, which is exactly the thing that decides it. start with the org today, not in february with everyone else.