DeSo is a decentralized social network. All of the code and data are totally open and anyone can build on the network or contribute code to improve it.

The DIPs repo allows developers to submit proposals for major features to get feedback and buy-in from the community prior to submitting code for review.

DeSo is not a company, and it doesn't have a board or CEO. Instead, it has a committed developer community that collaborates via this repo.

If you would like to contribute to DeSo, we have several kanban boards that contain ordered lists of the current priorities. The higher in the list, the higher the priority. The boards are currently separated by task size and they are:

• Small
• Medium
• Large

We recommend new contributors start with small tasks and gradually work their way up to large tasks. But this shouldn't discourage you from starting with a large task if you're really passionate about working on one of them. Just make sure you check out the guidelines in the next section first.

Changes can be small, medium, or large and there are different guidelines for each size of change. If you're unsure which guidelines to follow, simply ask on Discord and someone will help you figure out the right path to submitting your change.

Small changes do not require a DIP or extended discussion. Simply submit a pull request to the relevant repository and you're done.

Examples of small changes include:

• Updating documentation
• Adding test coverage
• Fixing small bugs that don't affect consensus
• Correcting inconsistent APIs, logging, or configuration options
• Upgrading dependencies
• Clarify DIP process

For medium changes, please create a new Discussion on the DIPs repository. You should explain the change you'd like to make, the rationale for making the change, and how you plan to implement the change.

Once a core dev approves your idea you can get to work and open a pull request on the relevant repositories. You do not need to open an issue or pull request on the DIPs repo.

Examples of medium changes include:

• Adding a new API endpoint
• Redesigning a frontend component
• Adding new configuration options
• Refactoring one package or a few files
• Change the DIP Process, excl those listed below under Large changes

For large changes, a little more work is required. In order, you should:

1. Create a new Discussion on the DIPs repo to get buy-in for your work from the community and at least one core dev. This is not always required. For example, if a core dev already approved your idea then you can skip this step. Additionally, note that we are actively working to expand the group of core devs.
2. Once the community and at least one core dev approves your proposal, create a pull request on the DIPs repo describing your change in full detail. Use the DIP template for creating your DIP.
3. The community and core devs will review your DIP PR and provide feedback. Once at least two core devs approve, your PR can be merged and is now an official DIP.
4. Now that you have an official DIP, you can confidently submit pull requests to the relevant repositories to implement your changes. You can also enlist other community or core developers to help you.
5. Once your PRs have at least two approvals from core devs, they can be merged and your change can go live on the network.

Examples of large changes include:

• Changing or adding a transaction
• Any soft or hard fork to consensus
• Refactoring multiple packages or repositories
• A significant change to the DIPs process, including:
  • Change levels & their definitions
  • Who approves changes at different levels