Javascript

How to Contribute to Blitz.JS

Published Feb 17, 2022

Updated Jan 30, 2023

3 min read

This article was written over 18 months ago and may contain information that is out of date. Some content may be relevant but please refer to the relevant official documentation or available resources for the latest information.

This Dot Media is kicking off a brand new series of videos in 2022 to help developers learn how they can contribute code to some of the world’s most popular JavaScript frameworks and technologies. Subscribe to This Dot Media’s Youtube Channel.

In the newest episode of this series, looking at the best practices for contributing to open-source web frameworks, I spoke with Brandon Bayer, Founder of Flightcontrol and Creator of Blitz.js. If you would like to check out that interview, you can see it here.

What is Blitz.js?

Blitz.js is a web framework built on Next.js that offers out-of-the-box features including a “Zero-API” data layer that eliminates the need for REST/GraphQL, and was modeled after Ruby on Rails.

Brandon Bayer

Brandon Bayer is the Founder of Flightcontrol, a full-stack deploy platform for Nest.js and Blitz.js. Additionally, he is the Creator of Blitz.js, and also offers independent software engineering consulting services. Brandon created Blitz.js after coming from the Ruby on Rails community, and wanting something similar with “batteries included” in the JavaScript ecosystem.

What to Know Before You Get Started

Developers who are interested in contributing to Blitz.js should visit the Blitz.js repository, read the documentation to learn how to contribute, and discover more about the community!

Quick Tips!

Check out Blitz Project Dashboard on Github, and view the “ready to work on” column for issues that have been unassigned and need help!
Join the Discord and get involved in the community!

The Best Way to Get Started

Those who are just getting started with contributing to Blitz.js can help with code reviews, documentation, and addressing issues in the “ready to work on” column in the Blitz.js repository. If you are interested in working on a particular issue, you can comment on it, it will be assigned to you, and then you can start working on it.

Quick Tips!

To find ideal issues for new contributors, look for the tags “good first issue” and “second first issue”.
If you are using Blitz and you find a bug, you are encouraged to bring that to the attention of maintainers.
If you are looking to build relationships and get involved on a regular basis, you can become a maintainer. There are different levels of maintainers like L1, L2, and Core Team. On the Blitzjs.com documentation page, there are descriptions on what it means to be what type of maintainer.

How to Submit a PR

Once you submit a PR, someone should review it within a few days, possibly request that you make changes, and then it may be merged. Sometimes PRs might be on hold until there is a release, but usually they are merged immediately.

Quick Tip!

The Blitz.js team doesn't have a lot of people reviewing PRs, so contributors are welcome to look at PRs and comment to make suggestions!

What About Attending Core Team Meetings?

Currently, the Core Team does not offer contributor meetings. However, earlier in the framework’s history, the Core Team hosted meetings that were recorded and shared on the Blitz.js Youtube channel if you would like to review old meetings.

__Are There Ways to Contribute to the Ecosystem Without Coding?

Those interested in contributing to the Blitz.js ecosystem without contributing code can:

Help triage issues when new issues come through - if there is a bug, see if you can reproduce it, or ask the original person for details.
Speaking at meetups and conferences.
Making courses and writing books.
Translating the docs into other written languages.
Contribute anything that can spread the word about Blitz.js!

Blitz.js Success Stories

Aleksandra, who is a TypeScript expert, started using and contributing to Blitz.js. Whenever there was a particularly challenging problem with Blitz in TypeScript, Brandon Bayer would go to her and ask for help. That led to her working full time for Blitz.js!

Level 2 maintainers Simon and Juan have been successful too. Simon, who has only recently gotten started with the project, has been super helpful in building items like SuperJSON. Juan got started through translating docs, and he’s been working as a Maintainer ever since.

Ready to Begin?

You can find the Blitz.js Github repository here.

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We love helping teams with projects that have missed their deadlines or helping keep your strategic digital initiatives on course. Check out our case studies and our clients that trust us with their engineering.

About the author(s)

Tracy Lee
Partner, This Dot Google Developer Expert (Angular, TC39, Web) RxJS Core Team & Lead for RxJS Learning Team Contributor to Angular, RxJS, EmberJS

Key Strengths:
- Teaching developer relations strategies
- Influencer marketing
- Developing brands
- Community strategies and maintenance
- Creating product launch strategies
- Leading marketing operations efforts & standards
- Effective conference presence & speaking strategies
@ladyleet @ladyleet

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Let's innovate together!

We're ready to be your trusted technical partners in your digital innovation journey.

Whether it's modernization or custom software solutions, our team of experts can guide you through best practices and how to build scalable, performant software that lasts.

Tracy Lee

Next.js + MongoDB Connection Storming

“Music and code have a lot in common,” freeCodeCamp’s Jessica Wilkins on what the tech community is doing right to onboard new software engineers

Intro to DevRel: What's the Difference Between External and Internal DevRel Programs?

What does it actually look like to build software with AI today? Not in theory, but in practice.

Let's innovate together!