🤝 Contributing to StreamLine

Thank you for considering contributing to StreamLine! We're building something that will help millions of families stay connected across borders, and we'd love your help.

📋 Table of Contents

Code of Conduct
How Can I Contribute?
Getting Started
Development Workflow
Coding Standards
Commit Guidelines
Pull Request Process
Issue Labels
Community

📜 Code of Conduct

Our Pledge

We are committed to providing a welcoming and inspiring community for all. We expect everyone to:

✅ Be respectful - Treat everyone with respect and kindness
✅ Be inclusive - Welcome diverse perspectives and backgrounds
✅ Be collaborative - Work together toward common goals
✅ Be constructive - Offer and accept constructive criticism gracefully
✅ Focus on impact - Remember we're building to help real families

❌ Zero tolerance for:

Harassment, discrimination, or offensive behavior
Trolling, insulting comments, or personal attacks
Publishing others' private information
Any conduct that would be inappropriate in a professional setting

If you experience or witness unacceptable behavior, please report it to conduct@streamline.finance

🎯 How Can I Contribute?

For Developers

🦀 Rust/Soroban Developers

Build smart contracts for escrow, savings pools, multi-sig
Optimize gas costs and contract efficiency
Write comprehensive tests for contract security
Issues: Look for soroban, smart-contract, rust

📱 Mobile/Frontend Developers

Build React Native mobile app
Create Progressive Web App (PWA)
Design responsive, accessible UI components
Implement offline-first capabilities
Issues: Look for frontend, mobile, react-native, ui-ux

⚙️ Backend Developers

Build REST/GraphQL APIs
Integrate Stellar Horizon API
Implement transaction monitoring
Set up background job processing
Issues: Look for backend, api, node.js, database

⛓️ Blockchain/Web3 Developers

Integrate Stellar SDK
Work with Anchors for fiat on/off-ramps
Implement multi-sig wallets
Optimize path payments
Issues: Look for stellar, blockchain, web3

For Non-Developers

🎨 Designers

Create UI/UX designs for mobile and web
Design app icons, logos, marketing materials
Conduct user research and usability testing
Issues: Look for design, ui-ux, user-research

🌍 Translators

Translate app interface and documentation
Localize for specific markets (Philippines, Venezuela, India, etc.)
Review translations for cultural appropriateness
Issues: Look for translation, localization, i18n

📝 Technical Writers

Write documentation and tutorials
Create API documentation
Improve README and contribution guides
Write blog posts about features
Issues: Look for documentation, content, tutorial

📊 Data Analysts

Analyze transaction patterns
Create dashboards for insights
Help with fraud detection algorithms
Issues: Look for analytics, data, metrics

🧪 QA Testers

Test new features on various devices
Report bugs with detailed reproduction steps
Perform security testing
Issues: Look for testing, qa, bug

🚀 Getting Started

1. Find an Issue

Browse our issue tracker and look for:

good-first-issue - Perfect if you're new to the project
help-wanted - We need help on these
beginner-friendly - Great learning opportunities
Your expertise area - Filter by frontend, backend, soroban, etc.

Not sure where to start? Comment on issues asking for guidance - we're here to help!

2. Claim an Issue

Comment on the issue saying "I'd like to work on this!" and:

Ask any clarifying questions
Share your proposed approach (for complex issues)
Mention estimated timeline

A maintainer will assign it to you and provide guidance.

3. Set Up Your Environment

Follow the Quick Start guide in the README.

Need help? Join our Discord and ask in #dev-help

🔄 Development Workflow

1. Fork & Clone

# Fork the repo on GitHub, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/streamline.git
cd streamline
git remote add upstream https://github.com/ORIGINAL-OWNER/streamline.git

2. Create a Branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
# or
git checkout -b fix/bug-description

Branch naming:

feature/ - New features
fix/ - Bug fixes
docs/ - Documentation updates
refactor/ - Code refactoring
test/ - Test additions/fixes

3. Make Changes

Write clean, documented code
Follow our coding standards
Add tests for new functionality
Update documentation as needed

4. Test Your Changes

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run specific test suite
npm test -- transaction.test.js

# Test smart contracts
cd contracts && cargo test

# Lint your code
npm run lint

5. Commit Your Changes

Follow our commit guidelines:

git add .
git commit -m "feat: add SMS notification for transaction confirmation"

6. Push & Create PR

git push origin feature/your-feature-name

Then create a Pull Request on GitHub!

💻 Coding Standards

General Principles

✅ Write clean, readable code - Others will maintain it
✅ Comment complex logic - Explain the "why", not the "what"
✅ Keep functions small - Single responsibility principle
✅ Handle errors gracefully - Always assume things can fail
✅ Write tests - Aim for 80%+ coverage on new code

JavaScript/TypeScript

// ✅ Good
async function sendRemittance(senderId, recipientId, amount) {
  // Validate inputs
  if (!amount || amount <= 0) {
    throw new Error('Amount must be positive');
  }
  
  try {
    const transaction = await stellar.sendPayment({
      from: senderId,
      to: recipientId,
      amount: amount
    });
    
    return transaction;
  } catch (error) {
    logger.error('Failed to send remittance', { error, senderId, recipientId });
    throw error;
  }
}

// ❌ Bad
function send(s, r, a) {
  return stellar.sendPayment({ from: s, to: r, amount: a });
}

Standards:

Use async/await over callbacks
Use const/let, never var
Use meaningful variable names
2-space indentation
ESLint compliant

Rust/Soroban

// ✅ Good
#[contract]
pub struct EscrowContract;

#[contractimpl]
impl EscrowContract {
    /// Creates a new escrow with specified conditions
    /// 
    /// # Arguments
    /// * `env` - Contract environment
    /// * `sender` - Address initiating escrow
    /// * `recipient` - Address receiving funds
    /// * `amount` - Amount to escrow
    pub fn create_escrow(
        env: Env,
        sender: Address,
        recipient: Address,
        amount: i128,
    ) -> Result<EscrowId, EscrowError> {
        // Implementation
    }
}

// ❌ Bad
pub fn create(e: Env, s: Address, r: Address, a: i128) -> EscrowId {
    // No docs, unclear parameters
}

Standards:

Document all public functions
Use Result types for error handling
Write comprehensive tests
Follow Rust naming conventions

Database Queries

// ✅ Good - Parameterized queries
const user = await db.query(
  'SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = $1',
  [userId]
);

// ❌ Bad - SQL injection risk
const user = await db.query(
  `SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ${userId}`
);

📝 Commit Guidelines

We follow Conventional Commits for clear, semantic commit history.

Format

<type>(<scope>): <subject>

<body>

<footer>

Types

feat: New feature
fix: Bug fix
docs: Documentation changes
style: Code style/formatting (no logic change)
refactor: Code refactoring
test: Adding/updating tests
chore: Maintenance tasks, dependencies

Examples

feat(wallet): add multi-signature wallet support

Implements multi-sig wallets allowing 2-of-3 approval for transactions
over $1000. Includes Soroban contract and UI components.

Closes #123

---

fix(sms): resolve Twilio API rate limiting

Implements exponential backoff and queuing for SMS notifications
to handle rate limits gracefully.

Fixes #456

---

docs(api): add OpenAPI documentation for transaction endpoints

Closes #789

Best Practices

✅ Use imperative mood - "add feature" not "added feature"
✅ First line < 72 characters - Keep it concise
✅ Reference issues - Use "Closes #123" or "Fixes #456"
✅ Explain why - In body, explain motivation for changes

🔀 Pull Request Process

Before Submitting

Code follows our style guidelines
All tests pass locally
Added tests for new functionality
Updated relevant documentation
Commit messages follow guidelines
No merge conflicts with main branch

PR Template

When creating a PR, include:

## Description
Brief description of changes

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Breaking change
- [ ] Documentation update

## Testing
How did you test this?

## Screenshots (if applicable)
Add screenshots for UI changes

## Checklist
- [ ] Tests pass
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] No breaking changes (or documented)

## Related Issues
Closes #123

Review Process

Automated checks - CI/CD must pass (tests, linting, build)
Code review - At least 1 maintainer approval required
Testing - Reviewer tests functionality
Merge - Maintainer merges when approved

Typical timeline: 2-5 days for review

Getting Feedback

Be patient - reviewers are volunteers
Respond to feedback constructively
Ask questions if feedback is unclear
Make requested changes promptly

🏷️ Issue Labels

Priority

P0-critical - Security issues, app-breaking bugs
P1-high - Important features, significant bugs
P2-medium - Normal priority
P3-low - Nice-to-have improvements

Difficulty

good-first-issue - Perfect for newcomers
beginner-friendly - Learning opportunity
intermediate - Some project knowledge needed
advanced - Requires deep expertise

Type

bug - Something isn't working
feature - New functionality
enhancement - Improve existing feature
documentation - Docs need improvement

Area

frontend - UI/UX, web app
backend - API, server, database
soroban - Smart contracts
mobile - React Native app
devops - Infrastructure, CI/CD

Status

help-wanted - We need contributors
in-progress - Someone is working on this
blocked - Waiting on dependency
wontfix - Not planned to fix

👥 Community

Communication Channels

Discord - Join here
- #general - General discussion
- #dev-help - Ask for development help
- #feature-ideas - Discuss new features
- #showcase - Share your work
GitHub Discussions - Long-form technical discussions
Twitter - @StreamLineApp
Monthly Community Calls - First Tuesday of each month

Getting Help

Stuck on something?

Check documentation and wiki
Search existing issues
Ask in Discord #dev-help
Create a new issue with question label

We're here to help - no question is too basic!

Recognition

We value all contributions! Contributors get:

💰 Drips funding - Earn based on contributions
⭐ Listed in README - Public recognition
🎓 Learning opportunities - Mentorship from experienced devs
🌟 Portfolio project - Build something that matters
🤝 Community - Connect with developers worldwide

🎉 First Time Contributors

Never contributed to open source before? We're excited to have you!

Your First Contribution

Browse good-first-issue label
Comment "I'd like to try this!"
Ask for guidance - We'll help you through it
Submit your PR - No matter how small!

Learning Resources

Every expert was once a beginner. We all start somewhere!

🙏 Thank You!

Every contribution, no matter how small, makes a difference. You're helping:

Families stay connected across borders
Workers keep more of their hard-earned money
Communities thrive despite distance

Together, we're building something beautiful. Welcome to StreamLine! 💙

Questions? Join our Discord or open an issue

Made with 💙 by contributors like you

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