Contributing to Traefik

Learn how to contribute to Traefik Proxy - from submitting pull requests to building from source and becoming a maintainer.

Contributing to Traefik

Welcome to the Traefik community! We’re excited that you’re interested in contributing to Traefik, a modern HTTP reverse proxy and load balancer for microservices.

We strongly promote a philosophy of openness and sharing, and firmly stand against the elitist closed approach. Being part of the core team should be accessible to anyone motivated and willing to be part of that journey.

Ways to Contribute

There are many ways you can contribute to Traefik:

1. Report Issues

   Found a bug? Submit an issue on GitHub with detailed information about the problem.

2. Fix Bugs

   Check out the confirmed bugs list and submit a pull request with your fix.

3. Add Features

   Look at Priority Issues or Good First Issues for enhancement opportunities.

4. Improve Documentation

   Help make the documentation clearer and more comprehensive for everyone.

5. Advocate

   Share your Traefik knowledge on forums, social media, or at meetups.

Getting Started

Before you start contributing, here are the key resources you should familiarize yourself with:

Essential Documentation

• Building and Testing - Set up your development environment and learn how to build Traefik from source
• Contribution Guidelines - Understand our code standards, PR process, and best practices
• Triage Process - Learn how we manage issues and pull requests

Quick Links

Submit Pull Requests

Guidelines for creating effective pull requests

Report Issues

How to submit helpful bug reports

Security Issues

Report security vulnerabilities responsibly

Advocate

Help spread the word about Traefik

Priority Areas

We’re able to review and merge these contributions the fastest:

1. Documentation updates - Help keep our docs accurate and clear
2. Bug fixes - Especially for confirmed bugs
3. Enhancements with contributor/wanted tag - Features the community has prioritized

For enhancements or features without the contributor/wanted tag, please create an issue first to discuss the proposal before starting work. This helps ensure your contribution aligns with project goals and can be merged.

Development Workflow

Here’s the typical workflow for contributing code:

1. Fork and Clone

   Fork the repository and clone it to your local machine.

2. Set Up Environment

   Install dependencies and ensure you can build Traefik. See Building and Testing for details.

3. Create a Branch

   Create a feature branch for your changes:

   git checkout -b feature/my-contribution
   
4. Make Changes

   Implement your changes following our contribution guidelines.

5. Test Locally

   Run all tests and validation checks before submitting.

6. Submit Pull Request

   Push your changes and create a pull request with a clear description.

Code of Conduct

This project is released with a Contributor Code of Conduct. By participating, you agree to abide by its terms.

New to Open Source? Start with a Good First Issue - these are typically smaller, well-defined tasks perfect for getting familiar with the codebase.

Becoming a Maintainer

Interested in becoming a core maintainer? We welcome motivated contributors! Check out the Maintainer’s Guidelines to learn about the path to maintainership and the responsibilities involved.

Community Support

Need help or have questions?

• Community Forum: Join discussions at community.traefik.io
• GitHub Issues: Search existing issues or create a new one
• Documentation: Explore the full documentation at doc.traefik.io

Next Steps

Ready to contribute? Here’s what to do next:

1. Read the Building and Testing guide to set up your development environment
2. Review the Contribution Guidelines to understand our standards
3. Pick an issue or feature to work on
4. Join the conversation on our community forum

Thank you for contributing to Traefik!