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Contributing to AlgoBuddy

Thank you for your interest in contributing to AlgoBuddy! We welcome and appreciate contributions from the community to help make this project better.

Join our community — Discord Server: https://discord.gg/Gv2N4U3KAc

↪️Table of Contents

↪️ Contribution Areas

We accept contributions in the following areas:

Area Description
Bug Fixes Resolve existing bugs and issues
UI/UX Improvements Enhance responsiveness, accessibility, and design
New Visualizers Add new DSA visualizers and animations
Documentation Improve guides, README, and contributor docs
Performance Optimize application performance and efficiency
Theme Enhancements Improve dark/light mode experience

Feel free to suggest new contribution ideas by opening an issue first.

↪️ Tech Stack

Layer Technology
Framework Next.js 16 (App Router)
Library React.js
Styling Tailwind CSS
Language JavaScript
Database / Auth Supabase
Animation GSAP, Framer Motion
Charts Recharts
Email Nodemailer (Gmail)
Captcha Cloudflare Turnstile

↪️ Getting Started

Follow these steps to set up the project locally.

1. Fork the Repository

Click the Fork button at the top-right corner of this repository.

2. Clone Your Fork

git clone https://github.com/your-username/AlgoBuddy.git

3. Navigate to the Project Directory

cd AlgoBuddy

4. Install Dependencies

npm install

5. Set Up Environment Variables

Copy the example env file and fill in the required values:

cp .env.example .env.local
Variable Description
EMAIL_USER Gmail address used to send contact/review emails
EMAIL_PASSWORD Gmail App Password (not your account password)
NEXT_PUBLIC_GA_ID Google Analytics Measurement ID
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL Your Supabase project URL
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY Supabase anonymous/public key
SUPABASE_SERVICE_KEY Supabase service role key (server-side only)
NEXT_PUBLIC_TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY Cloudflare Turnstile site key
TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY Cloudflare Turnstile secret key
TURNSTILE_BYPASS Bypass Turnstile locally (set to true to bypass)
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_URL Upstash Redis REST URL for rate limiting
UPSTASH_REDIS_REST_TOKEN Upstash Redis REST Token for rate limiting
GEMINI_API_KEY Google Gemini API key for AI chatbot
AUTO_CONFIRM_EMAIL Auto confirm user email in Supabase (if set)
NEXT_PUBLIC_SHOW_COMMUNITY_BADGE Toggle visibility of community badge in UI
NEXT_PUBLIC_USE_SPRING_BOOT_API Route requests to Java Spring Boot API locally
NEXT_PUBLIC_SPRING_BOOT_API_URL URL of local Java Spring Boot API (default http://localhost:8080)

⚠️ Never commit .env.local to version control. It is already listed in .gitignore.

6. Start the Development Server

npm run dev

The application will start locally at http://localhost:3000.

↪️ Development Workflow

Follow the workflow below while contributing to the project.

1. Create a New Branch

Create a separate branch before making any changes.

Syntax

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Example

git checkout -b fix/navbar-responsive-issue

2. Make Your Changes

You can now start working on:

  • Bug fixes
  • UI/UX improvements
  • Documentation updates
  • Performance enhancements
  • New visualizers

3. Commit Your Changes

Write clear and meaningful commit messages.

Syntax

git commit -m "type: short-description"

Example

git commit -m "fix: improve navbar responsiveness"

Recommended Commit Types

Type Purpose
feat New feature
fix Bug fix
docs Documentation updates
style UI/styling changes
refactor Code improvements
perf Performance optimization

4. Push Your Changes

Push your branch to your forked repository.

git push origin feature/your-branch-name

5. Open a Pull Request

After pushing your changes:

  1. Open your fork on GitHub
  2. Click Compare & Pull Request
  3. Add a clear title and description
  4. Submit the pull request

↪️ Issue Assignment Process

To ensure fair and efficient issue management, please follow these steps:

  1. Browse open issues — Check the Issues tab for tasks labelled good first issue or help wanted.
  2. Comment to request assignment — Leave a comment on the issue you'd like to work on (e.g., "I'd like to work on this"). Do not open a PR without being assigned first.
  3. Wait for assignment — A maintainer will assign the issue to you. Work will only be reviewed from the assigned contributor.
  4. Submit within the deadline — If a deadline is mentioned on the issue, please try to submit your PR within that timeframe. If you need more time, let us know in the issue thread.
  5. Avoid duplicate work — Before starting, check that no one else is already assigned to the same issue.

If you find a bug or want to suggest a feature that isn't already an issue, please open one first before working on it.

↪️ Pull Request Guidelines

Before submitting a PR:

  • Ensure the project builds and runs correctly (npm run dev)
  • Test changes on multiple screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop)
  • Follow clean coding practices
  • Avoid committing unnecessary files (e.g., .env.local, node_modules)
  • Use meaningful commit messages following the conventions above
  • Keep PRs focused on a single issue or topic
  • Add screenshots or screen recordings for UI-related changes

↪️ Reporting Issues

When creating issues, please include:

  • A clear, descriptive title
  • A proper explanation of the problem
  • Steps to reproduce the issue
  • Expected vs. actual behaviour
  • Screenshots or error logs, if applicable

↪️ Need Help?

If you need help while contributing:

We're happy to help new contributors!

↪️ Thank You

Thank you for contributing to AlgoBuddy 💙

Your contributions help make learning Data Structures & Algorithms more interactive and accessible for everyone.