India’s open-source scene is massive—devtools, datasets, civic tech, SDKs—yet most people still discover them by luck. FOSSRadar.in fixes that by offering a clean, Git-native directory of Indian open-source projects. No forms, no logins. You add a TOML file, open a PR, and your project is discoverable to contributors across the country.
Why now? Because India is the world’s fastest-growing developer hub on GitHub, with ~21.9M users today and a projection of 57.5M by 2030—and over 5.2M new developers joined in the last year alone. That’s a lot of builders searching for open source projects in India and beginner-friendly issues to start with. The Economic Times+1
Why India needs a clean index of open source
Discovery is fragmented. A trending tweet here, a college link there. If you don’t already know the maintainer, you may never find the repo. FOSSRadar aims to be the Indian open-source directory you can actually use—searchable tags, clear metadata, and a friendly path to “good first issue” tickets for students and newcomers.
How to list your Indian open-source project (TOML + PR)
The flow is just Git:
- Fork
github.com/wbfoss/fossradar - Add
/data/projects/<your-project-slug>.toml - Open a PR with a crisp description
- Optional: add the
fossradartopic on GitHub so others find you (case-insensitive:fossradar) - visit the site : fossradar.in
Minimal TOML example:
name = "Awesome Project"
slug = "awesome-project"
repo = "https://github.com/you/awesome-project"
description = "A lightweight tool for X that helps Y."
tags = ["python", "cli", "devtools"]
location = "Kolkata, India"
maintainers = ["Your Name <you@example.com>"]
homepage = "https://example.com"
license = "Apache-2.0"
This Git-native approach keeps entries portable and auditable, and it matches how Indian maintainers already work on GitHub.
“FOSSRADAR Verified” badge: trust without gatekeeping
New contributors compare unknown repos quickly. A simple FOSSRADAR Verified badge helps them trust what they’re clicking. The check is lightweight: OSI licence at the root, a readable README with a quickstart, and a genuine India link. Add it via Shields when you qualify:
We also look for the repo topic (case-insensitive), and we ignore look-alikes.
For students & beginners: good-first-issue paths in India
If you’re searching how to contribute to open source in India, start small and ship something useful this week:
- Fix docs, broken links, or examples
- Reproduce a bug and write clear steps
- Add tests for an edge case
- Improve a quickstart or CI lint
Look for labels like good first issue and help wanted. With India adding millions of new developers each year, these on-ramps matter more than ever. The State of the Octoverse
FOSS communities, meetups & hackathons in India
If you prefer learning by doing, India has a full calendar—Open Source India in Bengaluru, city meetups by FOSSUnited, Weekend meetup by WBFOSS, college hack days, and national initiatives. These are great places to discover made-in-India open source and meet maintainers. Open Source India+1
Also watch GitHub’s Made in India collection for inspiration and to see how popular Indian repos structure their docs and onboarding. GitHub
Why maintainers should list on FOSSRadar.in
- Discovery that converts: rank for searches like “best Indian GitHub projects”, “Indian open-source directory”, and city-specific queries.
- Contributor UX: clean metadata + starter issues → more first PRs that merge.
- Community pull: once you’re visible, meetups, review-athons, and mentorship follow.
If your README answers what it is and how to run it in one screen, you’ll win both contributors and users.
Roadmap: city/state filters, categories & spotlights
We’ll keep the architecture simple (index-as-code), but add what’s genuinely helpful:
- City/State filters (find open source projects Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi, Pune…)
- Category pages: devtools, AI/ML, data, web, mobile, civic tech, security
- Contributor highlights and first-PR shout-outs
- Monthly spotlights across WBFOSS channels
- Hack days & review-athons around listed repos
Have an idea? Open an issue. Want it live sooner? Send a PR.
If you maintain a repo with an India link, list it on FOSSRadar.in. If you’re a beginner searching beginner friendly open source India, pick a tagged issue and make your first useful PR. If you run a team, open-source a tool that others can reuse—and add it to the directory.
- Repo:
https://github.com/wbfoss/fossradar - Flow: Add TOML → PR → Get discovered
India’s open-source doesn’t need more noise. It needs a clear map and a friendly welcome. FOSSRadar is both.
FAQ
Is FOSSRadar only for big stars?
No. Early-stage repos, college projects, and civic tech are welcome.
Can students contribute without advanced skills?
Yes. Start with docs, tests, and “good first issue” tickets. Learn the workflow; the rest follows.
Do you accept projects from Indian teams serving global users?
Yes—if the maintainer base or mission has an Indian link, list it.
Is there a fee to list?
No. It’s community-run.
Does verification block listing?
No. It’s a trust signal, not a gate.
