During my three-month internship at OpenStack, I had the chance to dive into the world of open-source software development. My focus was working on features in Manila-UI project; but I was able to make a contribution to other OpenStack projects like Manila and Python-manilaclient.

In this short blog I want to share the ups and downs of this adventure, highlighting the importance of consistent learning hard work and community support in open-source. I tried to wrap it up with a few paragraphs but it was a story of numerous challenges, great lessons, and a huge personal and professional growth.

Starting Weeks

When I Joined OpenStack as an intern I had a mix of feeling excited and nervousness at the same time. The complexity of the project was the most scary part at the start, and I knew I still had a lot to learn in order to have a valuable contribution for my project.

As a general rule, Outreachy interns are required to work 30 hours each week on their projects. However, I had to work more than 30 hours, including weekends, to set-up my project on a virtual server and comprehend the Manila-UI codebase. I figured that I need to spend a significant amount of time researching, contacting my mentor Goutham, and asking questions. One of the early lessons I learned was to ask as many questions as I can and letting go of my bashful behavior. This helped me a lot in gaining valuable information about the community tools and project codebase.

My project overview

During my internship at OpenStack, I had the opportunity to work on enhancing the user experience of the Manila dashboard, which is a project providing shared file systems as a service. One of my main objectives was to implement a new UI feature related to share networks and subnets. This task involved creating a workflow for users to create share networks. Additionally, I focused on improving unit tests and test coverages to ensure the new feature integrated smoothly with the existing codebase.

Challenges and Learnings

One of the biggest challenges I faced during my internship was understanding the intricacies of the Manila dashboard codebase. It often meant staying late to have calls with Goutham, studying about unit tests and how they work(I was working against failing tests most of my time), and studying existing code to understand how things work. The support I get from my mentor, specially those late night pair programming calls we had were very productive to learn things quickly. I learned how to read and navigate through complex code, debug issues and write unit tests to the code I introduced.

This experience taught me the value of perseverance and dedication in overcoming obstacles. It also reaffirmed how crucial it is to ask for help when necessary and being open to learning from others.

Community and Collaboration

One of the highlights of my internship was the sense of community within the OpenStack project. I attended weekly meetings, participated in discussions on mailing lists, and interacted with developers and contributors from different backgrounds and experiences. I felt a sense of belonging within the community, and I was inspired by the passion and dedication of my fellow contributors.

Conclusion

My internship at OpenStack has been an incredible journey of learning, growth, and collaboration. I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such an impactful open-source project and to work alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry. This internship has not only enhanced my technical skills but has also inspired me to continue contributing to open-source projects and making a difference in the world.

As a note to my fellow Outreachy interns, I just want to mention that the importance of asking questions, networking, and trying to learn cannot be overstated. Things might seem hard at first, but they will get better with time and experience. Open-source communities are incredibly supportive, and there are always people willing to help you grow and improve. So, don't be afraid to reach out, get involved, and keep pushing forward. You'll be amazed at how much you'll learn and achieve along the way.