A bug I found was fixed and included in the release!

In March, I wanted to add code generation to a project I was working on. I had a publicly available OpenAPI contract of considerable size, and using it I needed to integrate with a third-party service. I decided to stick with the generator I was already familiar with. Unfortunately, it was incompatible with the specification at my hands!

I don't want to delve into technical details, but the code produced by the generator attempted to use non-existent methods. As a result, it couldn't even compile, let alone do anything useful. I tested some other generators, but none were successful for various reasons.

Eventually, I decided to report the issue on their tracker and created a bug. With over 4,000 open issues, I had no expectations whatsoever. Imagine my surprise when, just two days later, I received a notification that the bug had been fixed! With a racing heart and trembling hands, I downloaded the latest development snapshot and confirmed that the generator was now functioning correctly. Fantastic! Last week, the OpenAPI Tools team released a new version that included this fix, which greatly simplified its integration into the project.

Finding and fixing bugs is a daily routine in software development, it’s part of an endless cycle. But for me, this was a first experience with a major open-source project, and I'm very happy with the result. I had created just another issue among thousands, yet some person thought: "Yes, this is worth working on.". Isn't that cool?

As a test engineer, I'm accustomed to this process. However, usually it happens in a corporate environment, where my findings are linked to the features my team is developing. But this experience was completely different! Where would the IT sector be today without the dedication of enthusiasts and companies putting effort and resources into open-source software?