Introduction & GSoC Intent — Contributor Ready to Take Up More Issues

[shouryapratap132006]

Hi Rocket.Chat maintainers and community ,

I wanted to introduce myself and share my current status as a contributor.
I’ve successfully completed the local setup of Rocket.Chat and have already opened my first pull request:

PR: chore: replace deprecated body-parser with express built-in middleware (#38235)

This PR is a non-functional refactor focused on removing deprecated middleware usage while preserving existing behavior. All checks are passing, and I’m currently waiting for a code owner review.

About me

I’m Shourya Pratap, a B.Tech student majoring in Artificial Intelligence and an aspiring full-stack developer. My background includes:
Frontend: React, Next.js
Backend: Node.js, Express
Databases: MongoDB, MySQL
ML basics (recently started working on applied ML projects)
Open source experience (Hacktoberfest, GSSoC)

I enjoy working on cleanups, refactors, and user-facing improvements, and I’m comfortable reading large codebases.

GSoC intent
I’m very interested in contributing to Rocket.Chat with a long-term commitment and plan to actively participate in GSoC with Rocket.Chat. My goal is to:
Pick up well-scoped issues (bugs, refactors, UX improvements)
Learn Rocket.Chat’s architecture deeply
Deliver high-quality, review-friendly pull requests

I’d really appreciate guidance on:
Which areas/modules currently need contributors
Issues that would be good next steps after an initial PR
Any expectations from contributors aiming for GSoC

Thanks a lot for maintaining such a large and impactful open-source project. Looking forward to contributing more 🚀

— Shourya Pratap

[LIGHT-25]

Hi Rocket.Chat maintainers and community,

I’d like to introduce myself and share my intent to contribute to Rocket.Chat as a GSoC aspirant.

I have experience working with Node.js, Express, and REST APIs, and I’m comfortable reading and understanding large backend codebases. I’m currently setting up the Rocket.Chat project locally and going through the contribution guidelines to understand the workflow and architecture.

My primary interest is in backend/server-side contributions, such as bug fixes, refactors, API improvements, and performance-related tasks.

I’m looking to start with beginner-friendly backend issues and would really appreciate guidance on which areas or labels I should focus on first.

Thank you for maintaining such a high-quality open-source project. I’m excited to learn and contribute consistently.

I am currently pursuing Btech in CSE, and I am on my pre final year happy to do something relevant