Contributing to Goose

Thank you for your interest in contributing to Goose!

Ways to Contribute

  • Report bugs - File issues for bugs you encounter
  • Suggest features - Propose new functionality
  • Submit PRs - Fix bugs or add features
  • Improve docs - Fix typos, add examples
  • Help others - Answer questions in discussions

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Go 1.21+
  • Git
  • A GitHub account

Fork and Clone

# Fork the repository on GitHub, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/goose.git
cd goose
git remote add upstream https://github.com/awesome-goose/goose.git

Set Up Development Environment

# Install dependencies
go mod download

# Run tests
go test ./...

# Run linter
go vet ./...

Development Workflow

Create a Branch

# Sync with upstream
git fetch upstream
git checkout main
git merge upstream/main

# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/my-new-feature

Make Changes

  1. Write your code
  2. Add/update tests
  3. Update documentation if needed
  4. Run tests and linter

Commit Guidelines

Use conventional commits:

feat: add new validation rules
fix: resolve routing conflict
docs: update installation guide
test: add tests for auth middleware
refactor: simplify container logic

Submit Pull Request

# Push your branch
git push origin feature/my-new-feature

Then create a PR on GitHub with:

  • Clear title and description
  • Reference any related issues
  • Screenshots for UI changes

Code Style

Go Style

Follow standard Go conventions:

// Good: clear naming
func (s *UserService) GetByEmail(email string) (*User, error) {
    // ...
}

// Good: error handling
if err != nil {
    return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get user: %w", err)
}

// Good: concise comments
// GetByEmail retrieves a user by their email address.

Formatting

# Format code
go fmt ./...

# Check formatting
gofmt -d .

Linting

# Run go vet
go vet ./...

# Install and run golangci-lint
golangci-lint run

Testing

Write Tests

func TestFeature(t *testing.T) {
    // Arrange
    input := "test"

    // Act
    result := Feature(input)

    // Assert
    if result != expected {
        t.Errorf("expected %v, got %v", expected, result)
    }
}

Run Tests

# Run all tests
go test ./...

# Run with coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Run specific tests
go test -run TestFeature ./...

Documentation

Code Documentation

Add comments for exported functions:

// NewModule creates a new cache module with the given options.
// It returns an error if the configuration is invalid.
func NewModule(opts ...Option) (*Module, error) {
    // ...
}

Update Docs

For documentation changes:

  1. Edit relevant .md files in /docs
  2. Preview changes locally
  3. Submit PR

Issue Guidelines

Bug Reports

Include:

  • Go version
  • Goose version
  • Steps to reproduce
  • Expected vs actual behavior
  • Error messages/logs

Feature Requests

Include:

  • Use case description
  • Proposed solution
  • Alternatives considered

Pull Request Process

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Make your changes
  4. Test thoroughly
  5. Submit PR
  6. Address review feedback
  7. Get merged 🎉

Code of Conduct

  • Be respectful and inclusive
  • Provide constructive feedback
  • Help maintain a welcoming community

Questions?

  • Open a Discussion
  • Check existing issues
  • Read the documentation

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project's MIT License.

Thank you for contributing! 🙏