I’m Luffy, a full-stack developer passionate about open source. You can find me on GitHub @sy-records.
Before getting involved with open source, I was just an ordinary software user and a PHP developer, knowing little about the communities, collaboration, or the idea of contributing behind the scenes.
As time passed, I gradually realized that open source is not just a collection of technologies — it’s also an extension of values and spirit.
I created projects like Simps and PHPMQTT, and actively contributed to several open-source projects including Docsify, Hyperf, Swoole, Typecho, and Apache Answer.
From being a user to becoming a contributor, and eventually a maintainer of open source projects, this journey has profoundly changed my career path and shaped my understanding of the tech world.
How did you get involved with Open Source?
In 2019, I joined the Swoole open-source project and began working on a documentation overhaul.
This involved not only redesigning the front-end UI but also correcting outdated content and adding more sample code.
During the process, I encountered some issues: the new documentation was built using docsify, which at that time had some long standing search-related problems, such as:
- Unable to search content within tables
- Incorrect scroll position when clicking search results
- Inability to search list content
I started by submitting issues to the docsify repository to see if the maintainers could address them.
After receiving responses, I found time to submit PRs with fixes, which were fortunately merged smoothly.
Through continued contributions to docsify, I was eventually invited to join the core team, and today, I am proud to be an owner of the docsify project.
After completing the Swoole documentation overhaul, I also helped promote docsify — leading to its adoption by organizations like Hyperf, OpenMix, and ApolloConfig for their documentation needs.
As my understanding of open source deepened, I gradually moved from simply fixing bugs to contributing code and improving documentation across projects, eventually becoming a maintainer for several of them.
What’s Open Source to you?
For me, open source is both a passion and a beginning.
It’s not just a technical practice — it represents a set of values.
It stands for openness, sharing, and collaboration.
By participating in open source, I have not only improved my technical skills but also met many like-minded friends.
More importantly, open source has given me a profound sense of belonging and achievement.
What projects are you involved in?
Recently, I’ve been active in the Apache Answer project.
In addition, I continue to contribute to projects such as:
- laravel/octane: Supercharge the performance of your Laravel application.
- hyperf: High-performance coroutine framework based on PHP Swoole.
- docsify: A magical documentation site generator.
- typecho: A simple yet powerful blogging platform based on PHP.
- simps/mqtt: MQTT Protocol Analysis and Coroutine Client for PHP. Supports versions 3.1, 3.1.1, and 5.0 of the MQTT protocol, including WebSocket support.
Since PHP was the language that started my journey, I also contribute to the PHP ecosystem, including websites and Chinese documentation translations.
What are the main challenges you face as a maintainer?
As a maintainer, I face several challenges:
- Time Management: Balancing project maintenance with a busy work and personal life schedule.
- Community Management: Handling feedback from community members and ensuring the community remains active and healthy.
Contributors or maintainers may sometimes move on due to changes in their work or technical interests.
Taking docsify as an example — even though core maintainers are still around, the update frequency and responsiveness have slowed compared to a few years ago, making it difficult to release new versions.
I sincerely hope that more fresh contributors will join and help revitalize the docsify project.
Incidentally, I’m also pushing for a new release of docsify in Maintainer Month, which can be experienced at https://preview.docsifyjs.org/.
Currently, I make time during my workday to check GitHub notifications and emails from Gmail, trying to balance my main job while also staying active in the open-source community.
Final Thoughts
From an ordinary user to a project maintainer, this journey has brought me growth, friendships, and a sense of accomplishment.
I am deeply grateful to the open-source community for the support and opportunities it has given me.
I look forward to continuing this journey alongside more passionate and like-minded friends.
Read stories shared by other maintainers.
This story was published under CC BY-SA by the author.