Developers Handbook

Welcome to the Open Library Handbook! This guide provides developers with the information needed to get started, understand the codebase, contribute effectively, and participate in the community.

Getting Started

New to Open Library development? Start here:

• Set Up Your Environment:
  • Install Open Library using Docker
• Find Your First Task:
  • Find a Good First Issue on GitHub
• Version Control & Workflow:
  • Use Git to work on an issue (Git Cheat Sheet)
  • Submit a good Pull Request (Contribution Guide)
• Code Quality:
  • Test your code
  • Debug & Profile your code

Understanding the Codebase

Learn how the Open Library application is structured:

• Identify which file(s) power each URL Endpoint
• Trace the step-by-step Lifecycle of a Network Request
• Add a new Endpoint (Plugin Tutorial)
• Understand Infogami
• Review the Tech Stack

Contributing to the Front-end

Guidance for working on the user interface:

• HTML Templates:
  • Work with HTML Templates (Frontend Guide)
  • Asynchronously load Template Partials
  • Internationalize (i18n) Templates
• CSS & JavaScript:
  • Work with and build JS & CSS (Frontend Guide)
• Design Resources:
  • Refer to our Design Pattern Library
  • Explore the Figma Design System

Contributing to the Back-end

Information for server-side development:

• Data & Search:
  • Understand our Database Model (DDL)
  • Work with the Solr search engine
  • Work on the Import Pipeline
  • Write Librarian Bots
• APIs & Architecture:
  • Use or Write APIs
  • Diagram the Production Architecture

Managing Your Developer Environment

Tips for local development:

• Import production data into your local environment
• Login as admin in your local environment
• Create new users locally

Common Coding Recipes & Techniques

Quick references for frequent tasks:

• Lookup Common Recipes
  • Use cache
  • Work with cookies
  • Fetch data efficiently from the database

Participating in the Community

Get involved with other contributors:

• Request a Slack Invite
• Attend Weekly Community Calls (Tues @ 9a PT)
• Volunteer for a Fellowship
• Apply for Google Summer of Code (GSoC)

Specific Feature Developer Guides

Video walkthroughs and documents for key areas:

• BookWorm / Affiliate Server Guide
• Developing the My Books & Reading Log (Video)
• Developing the Books Page (Video)
• Understanding the "Read" Button Logic (Video)

Project & Team Resources

High-level project management and related team portals:

Project Management

1. Directory of Projects
2. Important Documents by Year
3. Responsibilities Matrix

Other Portals

• Design Portal
• Librarianship Portal
• Communications Portal
• Staff Portal (Internal Wiki)