Finding Good First Issues

OWASP Nest helps you find issues that match your skills and interests across all OWASP projects. This guide shows you how to discover the perfect contribution opportunity.

Understanding Issue Filters

Nest provides powerful filtering options to help you find issues that match your experience level and interests.

Available Filters

Organization

Filter issues by GitHub organization (e.g., “OWASP”)

Repository

Filter issues by specific repository name

State

Filter by issue state: open or closed

Labels

Filter by issue labels like good first issue, bug, enhancement

Finding Issues via the API

You can query issues programmatically using the REST API.

List All Issues

GET /api/v0/issues/

Query Parameters:

organization - Organization name (e.g., “OWASP”)
repository - Repository name (e.g., “Nest”)
state - Issue state: open or closed
ordering - Sort order: created_at, -created_at, updated_at, -updated_at
page - Page number for pagination
limit - Items per page

cURL
Python
JavaScript

# Get open issues from OWASP/Nest
curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?organization=OWASP&repository=Nest&state=open"

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/",
    params={
        "organization": "OWASP",
        "repository": "Nest",
        "state": "open",
        "ordering": "-created_at"
    }
)

issues = response.json()

const response = await fetch(
  'https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?' + 
  new URLSearchParams({
    organization: 'OWASP',
    repository: 'Nest',
    state: 'open',
    ordering: '-created_at'
  })
);

const issues = await response.json();

Get Specific Issue

GET /api/v0/issues/{organization}/{repository}/{issue_number}

Example:

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/OWASP/Nest/1234"

Response:

{
  "created_at": "2024-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "state": "open",
  "title": "Add search filters to issues page",
  "updated_at": "2024-01-16T14:20:00Z",
  "url": "https://github.com/OWASP/Nest/issues/1234",
  "body": "Detailed issue description..."
}

Filtering by Experience Level

Good First Issues

Perfect for newcomers to the project:

# Search for beginner-friendly issues
curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?organization=OWASP&state=open" \
  | jq '.results[] | select(.labels[]? | contains("good first issue"))'

These issues typically:

Have clear descriptions
Require minimal context
Include guidance on implementation
Are smaller in scope

Intermediate Issues

For contributors with project knowledge:Look for issues labeled:

enhancement - Feature improvements
bug - Bug fixes requiring investigation
refactoring - Code quality improvements

Advanced Issues

For experienced contributors:Look for issues labeled:

architecture - System design changes
performance - Optimization work
security - Security enhancements

Sorting and Ordering

Choose the right sort order for your workflow:

Newest First
Oldest First
Recently Updated
Least Recently Updated

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?ordering=-created_at"

Use this to find the latest reported issues.

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?ordering=created_at"

Use this to help with longstanding issues.

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?ordering=-updated_at"

Use this to find active discussions.

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?ordering=updated_at"

Use this to find stale issues that need attention.

Finding Issues by Topic

Use the search functionality to find issues by keyword:

Frontend Issues

# Find React/UI related issues
curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?repository=Nest" \
  | jq '.results[] | select(.title | test("react|component|ui"; "i"))'

Backend Issues

# Find Django/API related issues
curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?repository=Nest" \
  | jq '.results[] | select(.title | test("django|api|database"; "i"))'

Documentation Issues

# Find documentation related issues
curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?repository=Nest" \
  | jq '.results[] | select(.title | test("docs|documentation|readme"; "i"))'

Working with Pagination

The API returns paginated results:

{
  "count": 156,
  "next": "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?page=2",
  "previous": null,
  "results": [
    // ... issues ...
  ]
}

Iterate Through All Pages

Python
JavaScript

import requests

def get_all_issues(organization, state="open"):
    issues = []
    url = "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/"
    params = {"organization": organization, "state": state}
    
    while url:
        response = requests.get(url, params=params)
        data = response.json()
        issues.extend(data["results"])
        url = data["next"]
        params = {}  # Next URL already includes params
    
    return issues

all_issues = get_all_issues("OWASP")

async function getAllIssues(organization, state = 'open') {
  let issues = [];
  let url = 'https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/';
  let params = { organization, state };
  
  while (url) {
    const response = await fetch(
      url + (params ? '?' + new URLSearchParams(params) : '')
    );
    const data = await response.json();
    issues.push(...data.results);
    url = data.next;
    params = null; // Next URL includes params
  }
  
  return issues;
}

const allIssues = await getAllIssues('OWASP');

Best Practices for Issue Selection

Start Small

Begin with good first issue labels to understand:

Project structure and conventions
Development workflow
Testing requirements
Code review process

Check for Assignment

Before starting work:

Read the issue completely
Check if someone is already assigned
Comment asking to be assigned
Wait for maintainer confirmation

PRs for issues you’re not assigned to will be automatically closed.

Assess Time Commitment

Look for clues about issue complexity:

Quick wins: Documentation, typos, simple bug fixes
Medium effort: UI improvements, basic features
Large effort: Architecture changes, complex features

Understand Context

Before claiming an issue:

Read all comments and discussion
Check if there are linked PRs or related issues
Review any design documents or specifications
Ask questions if anything is unclear

Example: Finding Your First Contribution

Browse Open Issues

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?organization=OWASP&state=open&ordering=-created_at"

Filter by Repository

Choose a project that interests you:

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/?organization=OWASP&repository=Nest&state=open"

Review Issue Details

Get full details for an issue:

curl "https://nest.owasp.org/api/v0/issues/OWASP/Nest/1234"

Request Assignment

On GitHub:

Navigate to the issue URL
Comment: “I’d like to work on this issue. Could you please assign it to me?”
Wait for maintainer response

Start Contributing

Once assigned, follow the Contributing Guide to set up your development environment and submit your PR.

Issue State Reference

open

string

Issue is currently open and accepting contributions

closed

string

Issue has been resolved or closed without a fix

Common Issue Labels

Label	Description	Experience Level
`good first issue`	Beginner-friendly issue	Beginner
`bug`	Something isn’t working	All levels
`enhancement`	New feature or request	Intermediate
`documentation`	Documentation improvements	Beginner
`help wanted`	Extra attention needed	All levels
`priority: high`	Urgent issue	Experienced
`wontfix`	Will not be worked on	N/A

Subscribe to repository notifications to get alerts when new issues are created!

Get Started

Platform Features

User Guides

Development

Deployment

Finding Good First Issues

Understanding Issue Filters

Available Filters

Organization

Repository

State

Labels

Finding Issues via the API

List All Issues

Get Specific Issue

Filtering by Experience Level

Sorting and Ordering

Finding Issues by Topic

Frontend Issues

Backend Issues

Documentation Issues

Iterate Through All Pages

Best Practices for Issue Selection

Example: Finding Your First Contribution

Issue State Reference

Common Issue Labels

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Platform Features

User Guides

Development

Deployment

​Understanding Issue Filters

​Available Filters

Organization

Repository

State

Labels

​Finding Issues via the API

​List All Issues

​Get Specific Issue

​Filtering by Experience Level

​Sorting and Ordering

​Finding Issues by Topic

​Frontend Issues

​Backend Issues

​Documentation Issues

​Working with Pagination

​Iterate Through All Pages

​Best Practices for Issue Selection

​Example: Finding Your First Contribution

​Issue State Reference

​Common Issue Labels

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Understanding Issue Filters

Available Filters

Finding Issues via the API

List All Issues

Get Specific Issue

Filtering by Experience Level

Sorting and Ordering

Finding Issues by Topic

Frontend Issues

Backend Issues

Documentation Issues

Working with Pagination

Iterate Through All Pages

Best Practices for Issue Selection

Example: Finding Your First Contribution

Issue State Reference

Common Issue Labels