How I Merged a PR in VS Code & My Open Source Roadmap for GSoC 2026
Source: Dev.to
The Reality of Open Source: Beyond the Hype
Most engineering students wait for an internship to prove their worth. I decided to take a different route: Direct Impact. I recently got my first Pull Request merged into the microsoft/vscode repository. Seeing my code become part of a tool used by millions was a massive “Aha!” moment—it taught me more about software engineering than any semester ever could.
Contributing to a global powerhouse like VS Code isn’t just about writing code; it’s about Engineering Excellence.
- The “Zero Breakage” Rule – If your code breaks, a million developers stop working.
- The Review Masterclass – Feedback from Microsoft engineers is brutal but brilliant. It forces you to write clean, modular, and efficient code.
- Architecture – Reading the VS Code source code is like looking at a futuristic city; everything is perfectly organized.
Open Source is my playground, and GSoC 2026 is one of the milestones I’m targeting.
My Open Source Roadmap for GSoC 2026
Focus Areas
- AsyncAPI (Studio & CLI) – Deep‑diving into the Studio and CLI repositories. Event‑driven architecture is fascinating, and building tools for other developers is the best way to learn.
- Wikimedia – Exploring their massive infrastructure to understand how global data is managed at scale.
- OWASP – Investigating security best practices and large‑scale data handling.
Strategy
- Read more, write less – Spend hours understanding a codebase before typing a single line.
- Clear Communication – Explaining why a line of code was changed is as important as the change itself.
- Build in Public – Document everything you learn.
If you’re an engineering student and your GitHub is empty, change that today. Don’t wait for “perfection.” Just clone the repo and start reading.
Check out my contributions: github.com/Riya-chandra
Call to Action
Are you also preparing for GSoC 2026? Let’s discuss your chosen organization in the comments! 👇