From 3e8bfb2360fab5ef747a457acf08befa099823c4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: jayesh9747 <112215167@cse.iiitp.ac.in> Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2026 13:57:18 +0530 Subject: [PATCH 1/2] LFX_2025_website_migration_blog Signed-off-by: jayesh9747 <112215167@cse.iiitp.ac.in> --- blog/authors.yml | 6 + blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md | 164 +++++++++++++++++++++++ 2 files changed, 170 insertions(+) create mode 100644 blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md diff --git a/blog/authors.yml b/blog/authors.yml index 198bc75..bc7ed2b 100644 --- a/blog/authors.yml +++ b/blog/authors.yml @@ -26,3 +26,9 @@ wxnzb: title: Kmesh Contributor url: https://github.com/wxnzb image_url: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/149587405?v=4 + +jayesh9747: + name: Jayesh Savaliya + title: Kmesh Maintainer + url: https://github.com/jayesh9747 + image_url: https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/123955234 diff --git a/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md b/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..ea363b7 --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md @@ -0,0 +1,164 @@ +--- +title: "From Contributor to Maintainer: My LFX Mentorship Journey (Or How I Accidentally Became Responsible for Things)" +authors: + - jayesh9747 +date: 2025-02-14 +sidebar_position: 2 +--- + +### 👋 Plot Twist: I'm Now a Maintainer + +Hi everyone! I'm Jayesh Savaliya, a B.Tech student at IIIT Pune who somehow convinced people I know what I'm doing with backend technologies and open source. Over the last two years, I've managed to get selected for the C4GT program twice (2024 & 2025) - yes, they let me back in - and cracked LFX Mentorship 2025 (Term 1). + +In this blog, I'll share: +- How I stumbled into open source (spoiler: it wasn't a master plan) +- My totally-not-secret strategies to crack programs like LFX +- Why I chose Kmesh (hint: eBPF is cool, okay?) +- How I went from "can I contribute?" to "wait, I'm responsible for this now?" +- Some actually useful advice that isn't just "be passionate" + +--- + +### 🚀 My Open Source Origin Story + +When I applied to LFX, I wasn't some open source newbie who just discovered GitHub last week. I had already battle-tested myself with: +- **Sunbird** (EkStep Foundation) via C4GT - where I learned that education tech is harder than it looks +- **Mifos** - a GSoC org focused on financial services (because who doesn't want to debug payment systems at 2 AM?) +- A few other backend projects where I definitely didn't break production. Much. + +#### 🔍 Choosing the Right Project (AKA: "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe" But Make It Strategic) + +I shortlisted 2–3 projects from the LFX portal based on some highly scientific criteria: +1. **Tech stack relevance** - Does it use technologies I want to master? +2. **Learning potential** - Will this make me sound smart at tech meetups? +3. **Active maintainers** - Are these people actually responsive, or is this a ghost town? + +Eventually, I chose **Kmesh** - a high-performance service mesh data plane built on eBPF and programmable kernel technologies. What made me choose it? + +**The Technical Answer:** Kmesh's sidecarless architecture eliminates proxy overhead, resulting in better forwarding performance and lower resource consumption. It's bleeding-edge systems programming meets networking optimization. + +**The Real Answer:** It had "eBPF" in the description, and I wanted to feel like a kernel wizard. Also, the maintainers seemed nice. + +--- + +### 💡 How to Actually Crack an Open Source Program (My 3-Step Formula) + +Forget the "just be passionate" advice. Here's what actually worked: + +#### 1. ✅ Make Meaningful Contributions (Start Small, Dream Big) + +**The Wrong Way:** "I'll start by rewriting the entire architecture!" + +**The Right Way:** +- Week 1-2: Fix typos, improve logs, update docs +- Week 3-4: Fix small bugs, add tests +- Week 5+: Core features, refactoring, "I understand this codebase now" + +This progression shows mentors you're not just throwing random PRs at the wall to see what sticks. + +#### 2. 📝 Write a Proposal That Doesn't Put People to Sleep + +Your proposal should be: +- **Clear:** No buzzword bingo. Explain what you'll do in plain English. +- **Structured:** Timeline with milestones. Bonus points if you actually follow it later. +- **Convincing:** Why you? What makes you not-terrible at this? + +**Pro tip:** If your proposal is longer than your actual code contributions, you're doing it wrong. + +#### 3. 💬 Be Actively Involved (Without Being *That* Person) + +Stay present in project channels (Slack, Discord, mailing lists). Communicate with mentors. Ask questions. Suggest improvements. + +But also: Don't spam. Don't ask questions Google could answer. Don't @ everyone at 3 AM with "quick question." + +**The Formula:** Contribute + Propose + Communicate = You stand out (in a good way) + +--- + +### 👨‍💻 The Accidental Path to Maintainership + +Becoming a maintainer wasn't some grand plan. It happened because I apparently couldn't stop contributing even when the mentorship officially ended. + +Here's the not-so-secret sauce: + +#### 🔄 Consistency (AKA: The "Keep Showing Up" Method) +I didn't stop after my first merged PR and call it a day. I kept going: +- Fixing bugs nobody noticed +- Adding features people actually wanted +- Refactoring code that made future-me's life easier + +#### 🧠 Learning Mindset (Or: "I Have No Idea What I'm Doing, But I'll Figure It Out") +Every learning curve was just another opportunity to feel confused and then triumphant: +- eBPF concepts? Started clueless, ended slightly less clueless +- Performance optimization? Learned by making things slower first +- CI/CD improvements? Broke the build a few times, now I own it + +#### 🤝 Patience & Feedback (The "Don't Take It Personally" Skill) +Code reviews can be brutal. I learned to: +- Take feedback seriously (even when it stings) +- Iterate quickly (because blockers are expensive) +- Stay patient when things break (they will break) + +#### 🚀 Initiative (The "What If We Just..." Trait) +I started acting like an owner before I was one: +- Suggesting improvements to the project +- Writing better tests (because flaky tests are the worst) +- Automating repetitive tasks (because I'm lazy efficiently) +- Reviewing others' contributions (giving back feels good) + +**The Result:** By the end of my mentorship, the maintainers trusted me enough to grant maintainer access. + +From "hey can I fix this typo?" to "you're now responsible for reviewing PRs" - it was surreal, humbling, and honestly pretty cool. + +--- + +### 🎯 Actual Advice for Aspiring Contributors + +Let me cut through the inspirational fluff: + +#### 🧱 Start small, but stay consistent +You're not going to rewrite the kernel on day one. Start with something tiny. Then keep going. + +#### 🎯 Focus on learning, not just selection +Getting selected is great. Learning enough to be useful is better. + +#### 📢 Communicate actively and respectfully +Ask questions. Share progress. Be helpful. Don't be annoying. It's a fine line. + +#### 🚀 Don't be afraid to suggest improvements +If you see something that could be better, say something. The worst they can say is "no" (or "did you actually read the docs?"). + +#### 🛠️ Embrace feedback, be solution-oriented +Nobody's code is perfect on the first try. Take the feedback, fix it, move on. Arguing about semicolons is not a good use of anyone's time. + +**The Truth:** You don't need to be a genius. You just need to: +1. Show up +2. Contribute +3. Improve +4. Repeat + +--- + +### 🙌 Final Thoughts (The Sentimental Part) + +The LFX Mentorship taught me more than just how to write better code. It taught me: +- How to work with a global, distributed team (timezones are fun!) +- How to think critically about production-grade software (spoiler: logs are important) +- How to grow from contributor to leader in a community (responsibility is scary but worth it) + +If I can go from "nervous first-time contributor" to "wait, people are asking me for code reviews?", then you absolutely can too. + +Let's keep building, learning, and supporting each other in this amazing open source ecosystem. And maybe, just maybe, you'll accidentally become a maintainer too. + +--- + +### 📬 Let's Connect + +Want to talk about open source, eBPF, or why debugging kernel code at 2 AM is actually kind of fun? + +- 🔗 [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jayesh-savaliya) +- 💻 [GitHub](https://github.com/jayesh9747) + +Thanks for reading - see you in the next PR 🚀 + +*P.S. - If you're reading this because you're procrastinating on your own open source contributions, close this tab and go fix that bug you've been avoiding. I believe in you.* From f299cda7e344a5c607e3cafc9879da316d045000 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Jayesh Savaliya <123955234+jayesh9747@users.noreply.github.com> Date: Sat, 14 Feb 2026 14:45:03 +0530 Subject: [PATCH 2/2] Revise blog post for clarity and engagement Updated the blog post to refine the title and improve clarity throughout the content. Enhanced the introduction and various sections for better readability and engagement. --- blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md | 169 ++++++++++------------- 1 file changed, 70 insertions(+), 99 deletions(-) diff --git a/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md b/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md index ea363b7..479fece 100644 --- a/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md +++ b/blog/lfx_2025_website_migration/index.md @@ -1,164 +1,135 @@ --- -title: "From Contributor to Maintainer: My LFX Mentorship Journey (Or How I Accidentally Became Responsible for Things)" +title: "From Contributor to Maintainer: My LFX Mentorship Journey" authors: - jayesh9747 date: 2025-02-14 sidebar_position: 2 --- -### 👋 Plot Twist: I'm Now a Maintainer +### Introduction -Hi everyone! I'm Jayesh Savaliya, a B.Tech student at IIIT Pune who somehow convinced people I know what I'm doing with backend technologies and open source. Over the last two years, I've managed to get selected for the C4GT program twice (2024 & 2025) - yes, they let me back in - and cracked LFX Mentorship 2025 (Term 1). +Hi everyone! I'm Jayesh Savaliya, a B.Tech student at IIIT Pune passionate about backend technologies and open source. Over the last two years, I've been selected for the C4GT program twice (2024 & 2025) - yes, they let me back in - and recently completed LFX Mentorship 2025 (Term 1), where I somehow went from fixing typos to being responsible for reviewing other people's code at Kmesh. -In this blog, I'll share: -- How I stumbled into open source (spoiler: it wasn't a master plan) -- My totally-not-secret strategies to crack programs like LFX -- Why I chose Kmesh (hint: eBPF is cool, okay?) -- How I went from "can I contribute?" to "wait, I'm responsible for this now?" -- Some actually useful advice that isn't just "be passionate" +In this blog, I'll share my journey and the strategies that actually worked (no generic "just be passionate" advice, I promise). --- -### 🚀 My Open Source Origin Story +### My Background -When I applied to LFX, I wasn't some open source newbie who just discovered GitHub last week. I had already battle-tested myself with: -- **Sunbird** (EkStep Foundation) via C4GT - where I learned that education tech is harder than it looks -- **Mifos** - a GSoC org focused on financial services (because who doesn't want to debug payment systems at 2 AM?) -- A few other backend projects where I definitely didn't break production. Much. +When I applied to LFX, I wasn't starting from scratch. I had already battle-tested myself with: +- **Sunbird** (EkStep Foundation) via C4GT, where I learned that education tech is harder than it looks +- **Mifos**, a GSoC organization focused on financial services (because debugging payment systems at 2 AM builds character) +- Various backend projects where I definitely didn't break production. Much. -#### 🔍 Choosing the Right Project (AKA: "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe" But Make It Strategic) +#### Choosing Kmesh -I shortlisted 2–3 projects from the LFX portal based on some highly scientific criteria: -1. **Tech stack relevance** - Does it use technologies I want to master? -2. **Learning potential** - Will this make me sound smart at tech meetups? -3. **Active maintainers** - Are these people actually responsive, or is this a ghost town? +I shortlisted projects from the LFX portal based on three key criteria: +1. **Tech stack relevance** - Technologies I wanted to master +2. **Learning potential** - Projects that would challenge and grow my skills +3. **Active maintainers** - Communities with responsive, helpful mentors -Eventually, I chose **Kmesh** - a high-performance service mesh data plane built on eBPF and programmable kernel technologies. What made me choose it? +I chose Kmesh, a high-performance service mesh data plane built on eBPF and programmable kernel technologies. Kmesh's sidecarless architecture eliminates proxy overhead, resulting in better performance and lower resource consumption. -**The Technical Answer:** Kmesh's sidecarless architecture eliminates proxy overhead, resulting in better forwarding performance and lower resource consumption. It's bleeding-edge systems programming meets networking optimization. - -**The Real Answer:** It had "eBPF" in the description, and I wanted to feel like a kernel wizard. Also, the maintainers seemed nice. +Honestly? It had "eBPF" in the description and I wanted to sound cool at tech meetups. But it turned out to be genuinely fascinating work with a great community. --- -### 💡 How to Actually Crack an Open Source Program (My 3-Step Formula) +### How to Succeed in Open Source Programs -Forget the "just be passionate" advice. Here's what actually worked: +Here's my three-step approach that worked for LFX: -#### 1. ✅ Make Meaningful Contributions (Start Small, Dream Big) +#### 1. Make Meaningful Contributions -**The Wrong Way:** "I'll start by rewriting the entire architecture!" +Start small and scale up gradually. Don't be the person who says "I'll rewrite the entire architecture!" on day one. -**The Right Way:** -- Week 1-2: Fix typos, improve logs, update docs -- Week 3-4: Fix small bugs, add tests -- Week 5+: Core features, refactoring, "I understand this codebase now" +Instead: +- **Weeks 1-2:** Fix typos, improve logs, update documentation +- **Weeks 3-4:** Fix small bugs, add tests +- **Week 5+:** Work on core features and refactoring -This progression shows mentors you're not just throwing random PRs at the wall to see what sticks. +This progression shows mentors you're not just throwing random PRs at the wall hoping something sticks. -#### 2. 📝 Write a Proposal That Doesn't Put People to Sleep +#### 2. Write a Strong Proposal Your proposal should be: -- **Clear:** No buzzword bingo. Explain what you'll do in plain English. -- **Structured:** Timeline with milestones. Bonus points if you actually follow it later. -- **Convincing:** Why you? What makes you not-terrible at this? +- **Clear:** Explain your approach in straightforward language +- **Structured:** Include a realistic timeline with milestones +- **Convincing:** Demonstrate why you're the right person for the project -**Pro tip:** If your proposal is longer than your actual code contributions, you're doing it wrong. +Make sure your proposal reflects genuine engagement with the project, not just surface-level research. -#### 3. 💬 Be Actively Involved (Without Being *That* Person) +#### 3. Be Actively Involved -Stay present in project channels (Slack, Discord, mailing lists). Communicate with mentors. Ask questions. Suggest improvements. +Stay engaged in project channels (Slack, Discord, mailing lists). Communicate regularly with mentors, ask thoughtful questions, and contribute to discussions. -But also: Don't spam. Don't ask questions Google could answer. Don't @ everyone at 3 AM with "quick question." +But also: don't be *that* person who asks questions Google could answer or pings everyone at 3 AM with "quick question." Balance is everything. -**The Formula:** Contribute + Propose + Communicate = You stand out (in a good way) +**The Formula:** Consistent contributions + Strong proposal + Active communication = Standing out --- -### 👨‍💻 The Accidental Path to Maintainership +### The Path to Maintainership + +Becoming a maintainer wasn't planned. It happened naturally through sustained engagement after the mentorship period ended. + +#### Consistency -Becoming a maintainer wasn't some grand plan. It happened because I apparently couldn't stop contributing even when the mentorship officially ended. +I continued contributing regularly after my initial PRs were merged: +- Fixing overlooked bugs +- Adding requested features +- Refactoring code for better maintainability -Here's the not-so-secret sauce: +#### Learning Mindset -#### 🔄 Consistency (AKA: The "Keep Showing Up" Method) -I didn't stop after my first merged PR and call it a day. I kept going: -- Fixing bugs nobody noticed -- Adding features people actually wanted -- Refactoring code that made future-me's life easier +I embraced every learning opportunity, even when I had no idea what I was doing. eBPF concepts? Started clueless, ended slightly less clueless. Performance optimization? Learned by making things slower first. CI/CD improvements? Broke the build a few times, but now I own it. -#### 🧠 Learning Mindset (Or: "I Have No Idea What I'm Doing, But I'll Figure It Out") -Every learning curve was just another opportunity to feel confused and then triumphant: -- eBPF concepts? Started clueless, ended slightly less clueless -- Performance optimization? Learned by making things slower first -- CI/CD improvements? Broke the build a few times, now I own it +#### Patience & Feedback -#### 🤝 Patience & Feedback (The "Don't Take It Personally" Skill) -Code reviews can be brutal. I learned to: -- Take feedback seriously (even when it stings) -- Iterate quickly (because blockers are expensive) -- Stay patient when things break (they will break) +Code reviews can be humbling (read: brutal). I learned to take feedback seriously even when it stung, iterate quickly, and stay patient when things inevitably broke. -#### 🚀 Initiative (The "What If We Just..." Trait) -I started acting like an owner before I was one: -- Suggesting improvements to the project -- Writing better tests (because flaky tests are the worst) -- Automating repetitive tasks (because I'm lazy efficiently) -- Reviewing others' contributions (giving back feels good) +#### Taking Initiative -**The Result:** By the end of my mentorship, the maintainers trusted me enough to grant maintainer access. +I started acting like a maintainer before having the title: +- Suggesting project improvements +- Writing comprehensive tests (because flaky tests are the worst) +- Automating repetitive tasks (laziness is a virtue in programming) +- Reviewing other contributors' work -From "hey can I fix this typo?" to "you're now responsible for reviewing PRs" - it was surreal, humbling, and honestly pretty cool. +By the end of my mentorship, the trust I built with the team led to being granted maintainer access. Going from "hey, can I fix this typo?" to "you're now responsible for reviewing PRs" was equal parts surreal and terrifying. --- -### 🎯 Actual Advice for Aspiring Contributors +### Key Takeaways -Let me cut through the inspirational fluff: +Here's what I learned that might help you: -#### 🧱 Start small, but stay consistent -You're not going to rewrite the kernel on day one. Start with something tiny. Then keep going. +**Start small, stay consistent** - Begin with simple contributions and build from there. Consistency matters more than individual genius. -#### 🎯 Focus on learning, not just selection -Getting selected is great. Learning enough to be useful is better. +**Focus on learning** - Getting selected is great, but learning enough to make real contributions is what counts. -#### 📢 Communicate actively and respectfully -Ask questions. Share progress. Be helpful. Don't be annoying. It's a fine line. +**Communicate effectively** - Ask questions, share progress, and be helpful. Respectful, clear communication goes a long way. -#### 🚀 Don't be afraid to suggest improvements -If you see something that could be better, say something. The worst they can say is "no" (or "did you actually read the docs?"). +**Suggest improvements** - If you see something that could be better, speak up. Good ideas are always welcome. -#### 🛠️ Embrace feedback, be solution-oriented -Nobody's code is perfect on the first try. Take the feedback, fix it, move on. Arguing about semicolons is not a good use of anyone's time. +**Embrace feedback** - Your first PR won't be perfect. Nobody's is. Take feedback as learning opportunities, iterate, and move on. Arguing about semicolons is not a productive use of anyone's time. -**The Truth:** You don't need to be a genius. You just need to: -1. Show up -2. Contribute -3. Improve -4. Repeat +You don't need to be a genius. You just need to show up, contribute meaningfully, and improve consistently. --- -### 🙌 Final Thoughts (The Sentimental Part) +### Final Thoughts -The LFX Mentorship taught me more than just how to write better code. It taught me: -- How to work with a global, distributed team (timezones are fun!) -- How to think critically about production-grade software (spoiler: logs are important) -- How to grow from contributor to leader in a community (responsibility is scary but worth it) +The LFX Mentorship taught me more than just technical skills. I learned how to work with distributed teams across timezones, think critically about production software (logs are your friends!), and grow into a leadership role in an open source community. -If I can go from "nervous first-time contributor" to "wait, people are asking me for code reviews?", then you absolutely can too. - -Let's keep building, learning, and supporting each other in this amazing open source ecosystem. And maybe, just maybe, you'll accidentally become a maintainer too. +If you're considering applying to LFX or any open source program, take the leap. With consistent effort and genuine engagement, you can make a real impact. If I can go from nervous first-time contributor to maintainer, so can you. --- -### 📬 Let's Connect - -Want to talk about open source, eBPF, or why debugging kernel code at 2 AM is actually kind of fun? +### Connect With Me -- 🔗 [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jayesh-savaliya) -- 💻 [GitHub](https://github.com/jayesh9747) +Feel free to reach out if you want to discuss open source, eBPF, or systems programming: -Thanks for reading - see you in the next PR 🚀 +- [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jayesh-savaliya) +- [GitHub](https://github.com/jayesh9747) -*P.S. - If you're reading this because you're procrastinating on your own open source contributions, close this tab and go fix that bug you've been avoiding. I believe in you.* +Thanks for reading, and see you in the next PR!