contribute.html

---
layout: page
title: Contribute to Defold
description: Join the Defold contributor team and help improve the engine, editor, extensions, documentation, and examples.
nav: floating
heatmap: false
---

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<p>Defold is developed in the open by the <a href="/foundation">Defold Foundation</a> together with community contributors. You can help improve the engine, editor, extensions, documentation, tutorials, and examples.</p>
<p>Start by choosing an area, reading the contribution guidelines, and keep each change focused, tested, and easy to review.</p>
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{%- capture page_hero_actions -%}
{% include primary_button.html link="#contribution-areas" text="I want to help!" %}
{% include secondary_button.html link="https://github.com/defold/defold/blob/dev/CONTRIBUTING.md" target="_blank" text="Contribution Guidelines ↗" %}
{%- endcapture -%}

{%- capture page_hero_panel -%}
<img class="page-hero-graphic" src="/images/icons/icon-git.svg" alt="Defold support illustration" loading="eager" fetchpriority="high">
{%- endcapture -%}

{% include page_hub_hero.html hero_class="contribute-hub-hero" title="Contribute to Defold" copy=page_hero_copy actions=page_hero_actions panel=page_hero_panel aria_label="Defold contribution overview" %}

<div class="section dark page-dark-section gradient-background-top-dark" id="contribution-areas">
	<div class="container">
		<div class="page-section-heading">
			<h2>Choose where to contribute</h2>
			<p>You can contribute not only to the engine or editor source code - there are manuals, examples, tutorials and documentations that we;d love to get a glow up, or translation to your native language! Pick the repository that matches the kind of improvement you want to make.</p>
		</div>

		<div class="page-card-groups">
			<div class="page-card-group">
				<div class="page-card-group-heading">
					<h3>Core source code and tooling</h3>
					<p>Work on the runtime, editor, platform integrations, and infrastructure that supports native extension builds.</p>
				</div>
				<div class="page-feature-grid page-grid-two">
					{% include page_feature_card.html title="Engine and editor" body="The main Defold repository for runtime code, editor work, platform support, build flow, and core engine systems. Check details in the repository. ↗" link="https://github.com/defold/defold" icon="/images/icons/icon-defold.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-github" badge_class="page-feature-card-badge-tight-canvas" target="_blank" rel="noopener" %}
					{% include page_feature_card.html title="Extension build server" body="Improve the build service and tooling used to compile native extensions for Defold projects. Check details in the repository. ↗" link="https://github.com/defold/extender" icon="/images/icons/ic-git.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-reference" badge_class="page-feature-card-badge-tight-canvas" target="_blank" rel="noopener" %}
				</div>
			</div>

			<div class="page-card-group">
				<div class="page-card-group-heading">
					<h3>Documentation and learning content</h3>
					<p>Improve the learning materials that help new and returning users understand Defold faster.</p>
				</div>
				<div class="page-feature-grid page-grid-two">
					{% include page_feature_card.html title="Manuals and tutorials" body="Update the documentation source for manuals, tutorials, and learning content published on the Defold site. Check details in the repository. ↗" link="https://github.com/defold/doc" icon="/images/icons/icons-learn-export_ic-learn-documents.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-manuals" target="_blank" rel="noopener" %}
					{% include page_feature_card.html title="Examples" body="Improve example projects and sample code that show Defold concepts in small, practical use cases. Check details in the repository. ↗" link="https://github.com/defold/examples" icon="/images/icons/icons-learn-export_ic-learn-lego.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-examples" target="_blank" rel="noopener" %}
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>

<div class="section dark page-dark-section gradient-background-bottom-dark">
	<div class="container">
		<div class="page-section-heading">
			<h2>What good contributions look like?</h2>
			<p>Before opening a pull request, make sure the change is scoped clearly, validated properly, and aligned with existing Defold patterns.</p>
		</div>

		<div class="page-route-grid">
			<div class="page-text-panel page-surface-panel">
				<h3>Bug fixes</h3>
				<p>Fix one well-defined problem at a time and make it easy for reviewers to confirm the behavior change.</p>
				<ul class="checkmark">
					<li>Keep the contribution focused on a single bug or regression.</li>
					<li>Add or update unit tests when the change should be covered by tests.</li>
					<li>Test on all affected platforms when the bug is platform-specific.</li>
					<li>Follow existing code style and implementation patterns.</li>
					<li>Make sure you are legally entitled to submit the work.</li>
				</ul>
			</div>

			<div class="page-text-panel page-surface-panel">
				<h3>New features</h3>
				<p>New functionality should be intentionally scoped, well designed, and justified by a real Defold use case.</p>
				<ul class="checkmark">
					<li>Keep the contribution to one clear feature or capability.</li>
					<li>Confirm the design fits Defold’s existing architecture and workflows.</li>
					<li>Add tests and validate the feature on all affected platforms.</li>
					<li>Follow existing code style and implementation patterns.</li>
					<li>Make sure you are legally entitled to submit the work.</li>
				</ul>
			</div>
		</div>

		<div class="page-text-panel page-surface-panel">
			<h3>Before you open a pull request</h3>
			<p>Use the official guide and the public discussion channels before investing in a large change. That reduces review churn and helps align the work with how Defold is maintained.</p>
			<div class="page-button-grid page-grid-four">
				<a class="button secondary" href="https://github.com/defold/defold/blob/dev/CONTRIBUTING.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contribution Guidelines ↗</a>
				<a class="button secondary" href="https://github.com/defold/defold/blob/dev/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Code of Conduct ↗</a>
				<a class="button secondary" href="https://forum.defold.com/c/source-code" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Source code forum ↗</a>
				<a class="button secondary" href="/manuals/getting-help/">How to report issues?</a>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
</div>

<div class="section dark page-dark-section gradient-background-top-dark">
	<div class="container">
		<div class="page-section-heading">
			<h2>Other ways to help</h2>
			<p>If you are not ready to submit code or docs yet, you can still help Defold by reporting issues clearly, helping other developers, or supporting the Foundation.</p>
		</div>

		<div class="page-feature-grid">
			{% include page_feature_card.html title="Report an issue" body="Use the forum, editor issue reporting, and support docs to document bugs and share reproducible cases." link="/manuals/getting-help/" icon="/images/icons/icons-learn-export_ic-learn-forum.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-faq" %}
			{% include page_feature_card.html title="Help Community" body="Answer questions, share workarounds, and support developers who are getting unstuck with Defold." link="/community" icon="/images/icons/ic-64-community.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-forum" %}
			{% include page_feature_card.html title="Support Defold" body="Fund ongoing development through donations and partnerships if you want to help without opening a pull request." link="/donate" icon="/images/icons/icon-handshake.svg" card_class="page-feature-card-donate" %}
		</div>
	</div>
</div>

{% include donors_and_partners.html %}