Pull Requests
This page focuses on authoring and addressing feedback on Pull Requests. For details and expectations for PR reviewers, see Code Review.
Pull Requests are the primary mechanism we use to write software. GitHub has some great documentation on using the Pull Request feature.
Fork
In order to contribute to Bitwarden you will need to fork the relevant repository. For details on how to do this see this help article from GitHub. After forking the repository you will need to clone it locally.
# Example for the clients repository
git clone [email protected]:username/clients.git
It's also useful to add a upstream remote pointing to the official Bitwarden repository.
# Example for the clients repository, from the repository directory
git remote add upstream https://github.com/bitwarden/clients.git
This will allow you to pull in upstream changes easily by running.
# Example for the clients repository, from the repository directory
git fetch upstream
Branch
Each new feature or bug fix should be developed on a separate branch. Branches allow you to work on
multiple features concurrently. In most cases you should branch from main. However, if you are
working with other contributors we typically branch off a long-lived feature branch. Long-lived
feature branches allow us to break up a single feature into multiple PRs, which can be reviewed
individually but tested and released together.
As a community contributor you can use the following command to branch directly from the upstream
main branch.
git checkout -b feature/example
Commit
We recommend grouping related changes together into a single commit. This can make it easier for reviewers to understand and assess the changes that are being proposed, while also giving the contributor checkpoints to revert to if something should go wrong.
We do not have a standard for how to structure commit messages (e.g. semantic commit messages). We
encourage that commit messages should be within the 50-character limit so that git log can be used
easily. If a commit message would take more than 50 characters it is best to break it up into
smaller atomic changes for readability and malleability of the git history (reversion,
cherry-picking, etc.).
More advanced contributors might find it useful to Rewrite History. This allows a contributor to revise their local history before pushing to the remote repository. A common use case is squashing multiple half-working commits.
Avoid force push once a PR has been reviewed.
Git operations that affect the existing git commits prevent GitHub from correctly identifying “new changes” to a PR forcing the reviewer to start over again.
Creating a pull request
The Bitwarden repositories have a Pull Request template which should be followed. This will ensure the PR review goes smoothly since it will provide context to the reviewer. Once a community PR has been created, it will be automatically be linked to an internal Jira ticket. The internal ticket is used for prioritization and tracking purposes.
Once a Community PR has been created a Bitwarden developer will perform a code review. While we try to this in a reasonable time frame, please understand that we have internal roadmaps and priorities that may delay this process.
Addressing feedback
It is likely that you will receive some feedback on your PR. You should see this as a positive thing -- it signifies a healthy and thorough review process and an organizational commitment to code quality. You may receive comments or a request for changes. You are encouraged to engage in conversation on the PR to discuss a solution, but if any strong conflicting opinions arise it is often best to move the conversation to a synchronous format to avoid any misunderstanding.
When any necessary changes have been made, you should address the comments or request for changes by responding in the PR conversation thread. You are not responsible for resolving the conversation -- that is the prerogative of the reviewer, to ensure that they agree that the question or concern has been addressed.
When you are ready for a reviewer to revisit your changes, you should request a re-review. This will notify the reviewer and ensure a prompt response.