pgsql-general
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Begin contribution journey to postgres
- Jump to comment-1Ankush Mondal<ankushmondal1y2t@gmail.com>Apr 11, 2026, 4:11 PM UTCHi PostgreSQL community,
I am Ankush, a computer science undergraduate interested in database
internals and systems programming.
I have some experience with C, SQLand working on Linux, and I’ve recently
started exploring PostgreSQL. I would like to contribute to the project,
but I’m not sure how to begin.
Could you please suggest how a beginner like me can get started with
understanding the codebase and making initial contributions?
Thanks in advance for your guidance.- Jump to comment-1Amogh Dambal<amoghdambal1@gmail.com>Apr 11, 2026, 5:28 PM UTCI'd probably start by reading the developer FAQ:
https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Developer_FAQ#How_do_I_get_involved_in_PostgreSQL_development.3F
and subscribing to the pgsql-novice@lists.postgresql.org mailing list.
To get a copy of the source on your machine, the docs:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/git.html and
https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Working_with_Git may also be helpful.- Jump to comment-1Amogh Dambal<amoghdambal1@gmail.com>Apr 11, 2026, 5:39 PM UTCAdditionally, https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/So,_you_want_to_be_a_developer%3F
will likely be a very helpful starting point as well. - Jump to comment-1Ankush Mondal<ankushmondal1y2t@gmail.com>Apr 11, 2026, 5:56 PM UTCHi Amogh,
Thank you for your suggestions and the helpful resources.
I’ve gone through the Developer FAQ, set up the PostgreSQL source code on
my machine, and subscribed to the pgsql-novice mailing list.
I was wondering if it would be possible for me to start working on some
beginner-friendly issues or tasks. I’d really appreciate any pointers on
where to find such issues or how to get started with contributing.
Thanks again for your guidance!
Best regards,
Ankush
On Sat, Apr 11, 2026 at 10:58 PM Amogh Dambal <amoghdambal1@gmail.com>
wrote:I'd probably start by reading the developer FAQ:
https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Developer_FAQ#How_do_I_get_involved_in_PostgreSQL_development.3F
and subscribing to the pgsql-novice@lists.postgresql.org mailing list.
To get a copy of the source on your machine, the docs:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/git.html and
https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Working_with_Git may also be helpful.- Jump to comment-1Tom Lane<tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>Apr 11, 2026, 7:38 PM UTCAnkush Mondal <ankushmondal1y2t@gmail.com> writes:
I was wondering if it would be possible for me to start working on some
Well, there is a TODO list on our wiki, but sadly it's been nearly
beginner-friendly issues or tasks. I’d really appreciate any pointers on
where to find such issues or how to get started with contributing.
unmaintained for a long time. I wouldn't trust it as a guide to
things that should be done. Moreover, most of the stuff that got onto
that list got there because it was too hard to get done quickly
and/or there wasn't consensus.
The best thing I can think of for a new developer to get started
is to help review some in-progress patches. Even simple things
like "does it pass tests" or "is the documentation intelligible"
are helpful. But your main goal should be to read the patches
and start learning your way around the Postgres code base that way.
We keep track of unapplied patches in our "commit fest" app:
https://commitfest.postgresql.org
Look through the list, select some that fit your interests,
start reading the associated mailing list threads.
BTW, pretty nearly all discussion about PG development happens on
pgsql-hackers. The pgsql-novice list is meant for novice users'
questions, not so much novice developers.
Welcome!regards, tom lane