Re: Seeking guidance on starting FreeBSD contribution

Hello Chris,

Thank you so much for the warm welcome and detailed guidance!

I’ve already started exploring FreeBSD: I’ve looked into its file structure
and how the ports collection framework works. I’m particularly interested
in system development and would like to focus on learning the kernel and
related subsystems. My goal is to prepare myself to contribute meaningfully
and potentially target FreeBSD for GSoC 2026.

Also, I would like to know if I can skip the porting part because I feel I
would not be able to contribute to my fullest in that area. I am okay if
getting into system-level development from the start is challenging, as
long as it’s practical.

I am highly motivated and willing to dedicate most of my time to this
journey. I would greatly appreciate any advice on how to move from
exploring the system to getting involved in kernel or system-level
development, and whether there are specific resources or smaller tasks
you’d recommend as stepping stones.

If possible, I would also greatly appreciate guidance or informal
mentorship from experienced contributors as I navigate learning the system
and start contributing. I understand everyone’s time is valuable, and any
pointers or feedback would be extremely helpful.

Thank you again for your guidance and support!


Best regards,
Ananay Sharma

On Tue, Sep 16, 2025 at 12:37 AM Chris <bsd-lists@bsdforge.com> wrote:

> On 2025-09-14 16:10, Ananay Sharma wrote:
> > Hello everyone,
> Greetings, Ananay and welcome aboard!
>
> Nothing would jump start your adventure better than giving the Porters
> Hnadbook[1]
> and the Developers Handbook[2] a good read. The latter of which requires
> the
> Committers Guide[3] and Code Review[4]. A strong knowledge of git(1) and
> how
> we
> use it will also be necessary. If I were you. I'd probably adopt, or
> contribute a
> port [ports(7)]. This would be a great first step to get your "feet wet"
> and
> give
> you a feel for how things work. You'll need to subscribe to the ports
> category on
> the FreeBSD mailing lists[5]. When you feel comfortable enough to take a
> stab
> at
> the system. You'll probably also want to join (at least) the Stable and
> Current
> mailing lists.
>
> This is all probably a lot to digest. I hope I haven't scared you off. :)
>
> Happy hacking and thanks for your interest!
>
> --Chris
>
> >
> > I’m Ananay Sharma, a 2nd-year undergraduate student in Computer Science.
> > For the past few months, I have been learning how computer systems work
> and
> > studying Operating Systems through the UCB OS lectures. I found FreeBSD
> > fascinating and would really love to contribute to it in the future.
> >
> > However, I don’t use FreeBSD regularly and I’m not sure where to start or
> > how its components work in practice. I would greatly appreciate any
> advice
> > on how to begin learning about FreeBSD development or how to get involved
> > with small contributions.
> >
> > Thank you very much for your time.
> >
> > Best regards,
> > Ananay Sharma
>
> 1. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/porters-handbook/
> 2. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/developers-handbook/
> 3. https://docs.freebsd.org/en/articles/committers-guide
> 4. https://reviews.freebsd.org/
> 5. https://www.freebsd.org/community/mailinglists/
>
> --
> There is no such place as the internet