Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to KayakNet! This guide will help you get started.

Ways to Contribute

Code

• Fix bugs

• Implement features

• Improve performance

• Write tests

Documentation

• Fix typos and errors

• Add examples

• Improve clarity

• Translate to other languages

Testing

• Run beta releases

• Report bugs

• Test edge cases

• Verify fixes

Community

• Help users in chat

• Answer questions

• Share KayakNet

• Write tutorials

Getting Started

1. Fork the Repository

# Fork on GitHub, then:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/KayakNet.git
cd KayakNet

2. Set Up Development Environment

# Install Go 1.21+
go version

# Download dependencies
go mod download

# Build
go build ./cmd/kayakd/

3. Create a Branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

Code Style

Go Code

Follow standard Go conventions:

• gofmt for formatting

• golint for style

• Clear variable names

• Comments for exported functions

// Good
func ProcessMessage(msg *Message) error {
    if msg == nil {
        return errors.New("message is nil")
    }
    // Process...
    return nil
}

// Bad
func pm(m *Message) error {
    // ...
}

Commit Messages

Use clear, descriptive commit messages:

feat: add support for Zcash escrow

- Implement Zcash wallet integration
- Add z-address generation
- Update escrow API for ZEC

Closes #123

Prefixes:

• feat: - New feature

• fix: - Bug fix

• docs: - Documentation

• test: - Tests

• refactor: - Code refactoring

• perf: - Performance improvement

• chore: - Maintenance

Pull Request Process

1. Before Submitting

• Code compiles without errors

• Tests pass (go test ./...)

• Linter passes (golangci-lint run)

• Documentation updated if needed

• Commit messages are clear

2. Submit PR

1. Push your branch

2. Open PR on GitHub

3. Fill out the template

4. Wait for review

3. Review Process

• Maintainers will review

• Address feedback

• Make requested changes

• PR will be merged when approved

Testing

Running Tests

# All tests
go test ./...

# With coverage
go test -cover ./...

# Specific package
go test ./internal/chat/...

# Verbose
go test -v ./...

Writing Tests

func TestProcessMessage(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name    string
        input   *Message
        wantErr bool
    }{
        {"valid message", &Message{...}, false},
        {"nil message", nil, true},
    }
    
    for _, tt := range tests {
        t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
            err := ProcessMessage(tt.input)
            if (err != nil) != tt.wantErr {
                t.Errorf("got error %v, wantErr %v", err, tt.wantErr)
            }
        })
    }
}

Security Contributions

Responsible Disclosure

If you find a security vulnerability:

1. DO NOT open a public issue

2. Email: [email protected]

3. Include detailed reproduction steps

4. Wait for acknowledgment

Security-Related PRs

• Mark PR as security-related

• Request private review

• Don't discuss details publicly until fixed

Documentation

Where to Document

Type	Location
API docs	api/*.md
Features	features/*.md
Architecture	architecture/*.md
Security	security/*.md

Documentation Style

• Clear and concise

• Include examples

• Use code blocks for commands

• Keep up to date with code

Community Guidelines

Be Respectful

• Treat everyone with respect

• No harassment or discrimination

• Constructive criticism only

Be Collaborative

• Help others learn

• Share knowledge

• Welcome newcomers

Be Professional

• Stay on topic

• No spam or self-promotion

• Respect privacy

Questions?

• Join #dev on chat.kyk

• Open a GitHub discussion

• Check existing issues

Thank you for contributing to KayakNet!