Contributing to RapidForge

January 25, 2026 · View on GitHub

Thank you for your interest in contributing to RapidForge! We welcome contributions from the community and are grateful for your support.

Table of Contents

Code of Conduct

This project adheres to a Code of Conduct that all contributors are expected to follow. Please read CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md before contributing.

Getting Started

  1. Fork the repository on GitHub
  2. Clone your fork locally: 
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/rapidforge.git
cd rapidforge
  3. Add upstream remote: 
    git remote add upstream https://github.com/rapidforge-io/rapidforge.git

Development Setup

Prerequisites

  • Go 1.21 or higher
  • SQLite 3
  • Node.js 18+ (for frontend development)
  • Make (optional, for using Makefile commands)

Building from Source

# Build the main application
go build -o rapidforge

# Run the application
./rapidforge

Frontend Development

The project includes two frontend sub-projects:

Admin Interface (sitebuilder/):

cd sitebuilder
npm install
npm run dev  # Development mode
npm run build  # Production build

CodeMirror Editor (codemirroreditor/):

cd codemirroreditor
npm install
npm run dev
npm run build

Database Migrations

Migrations are located in database/migrations/. The application automatically runs pending migrations on startup.

To create a new migration:

# Create a new migration file in database/migrations/
# Format: YYYYMMDDHHMMSS_description.sql

How to Contribute

Reporting Bugs

  • Use the GitHub issue tracker
  • Check if the issue already exists
  • Include detailed steps to reproduce
  • Provide system information (OS, Go version, etc.)
  • Include relevant logs or error messages

Suggesting Enhancements

  • Open a GitHub issue with the "enhancement" label
  • Clearly describe the feature and its use case
  • Discuss the implementation approach
  • Be open to feedback and alternative solutions

Working on Issues

  1. Comment on the issue you'd like to work on
  2. Wait for approval/assignment from maintainers
  3. Create a feature branch from main
  4. Make your changes
  5. Submit a pull request

Pull Request Process

  1. Create a feature branch:

    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

  2. Make your changes:

    • Write clear, concise commit messages
    • Follow the coding standards
    • Add tests for new functionality
    • Update documentation as needed

  3. Keep your branch updated:

    git fetch upstream
git rebase upstream/main

  4. Run tests:

    go test ./...

  5. Push to your fork:

    git push origin feature/your-feature-name

  6. Open a Pull Request:

    • Use a clear, descriptive title
    • Reference related issues (e.g., "Fixes #123")
    • Describe what changed and why
    • Include screenshots for UI changes
    • Ensure CI checks pass

  7. Code Review:

    • Address reviewer feedback
    • Push additional commits as needed
    • Maintainers will merge once approved

Coding Standards

Go Code

  • Follow standard Go formatting (go fmt)
  • Use gofmt or goimports before committing
  • Follow Effective Go guidelines
  • Write meaningful variable and function names
  • Add comments for exported functions and complex logic
  • Keep functions focused and concise

JavaScript/TypeScript

  • Use ESLint configuration provided
  • Follow React best practices for components
  • Use TypeScript types where applicable
  • Keep components small and reusable

General Guidelines

  • Write self-documenting code
  • Avoid premature optimization
  • Handle errors appropriately
  • Don't commit commented-out code
  • Remove debug statements before committing

Testing

Running Tests

# Run all tests
go test ./...

# Run tests with coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Run specific package tests
go test ./runner

Writing Tests

  • Write tests for new features
  • Maintain or improve code coverage
  • Use table-driven tests where appropriate
  • Mock external dependencies
  • Test edge cases and error conditions

End-to-End Tests

E2E tests are located in e2e/ using Playwright:

cd e2e
npm install
npm test

Documentation

Code Documentation

  • Add godoc comments for exported functions, types, and packages
  • Include usage examples in comments where helpful
  • Update inline comments when changing logic

User Documentation

  • Update README.md for user-facing changes
  • Add examples to demonstrate new features
  • Keep documentation in sync with code changes

API Documentation

  • Document new endpoints and parameters
  • Include request/response examples
  • Note breaking changes prominently

Questions?

If you have questions about contributing, feel free to:

  • Open a GitHub discussion
  • Ask in an existing issue
  • Reach out to the maintainers

Thank you for contributing to RapidForge! 🚀