Lotus is an implementation of the Filecoin Distributed Storage Network. For more details about Filecoin, check out the [Filecoin Spec](https://spec.filecoin.io).
For instructions on how to build, install and setup lotus, please visit [https://docs.filecoin.io/get-started/lotus](https://docs.filecoin.io/get-started/lotus/).
- [go-fil-markets](https://github.com/filecoin-project/go-fil-markets) which has its own [kanban work tracker available here](https://app.zenhub.com/workspaces/markets-shared-components-5daa144a7046a60001c6e253/board)
- [specs-actors](https://github.com/filecoin-project/specs-actors) which has its own [kanban work tracker available here](https://app.zenhub.com/workspaces/actors-5ee6f3aa87591f0016c05685/board)
Lotus is a universally open project and welcomes contributions of all kinds: code, docs, and more. However, before making a contribution, we ask you to heed these recommendations:
1. If the proposal entails a protocol change, please first submit a [Filecoin Improvement Proposal](https://github.com/filecoin-project/FIPs).
2. If the change is complex and requires prior discussion, [open an issue](github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/issues) or a [discussion](https://github.com/filecoin-project/lotus/discussions) to request feedback before you start working on a pull request. This is to avoid disappointment and sunk costs, in case the change is not actually needed or accepted.
3. Please refrain from submitting PRs to adapt existing code to subjective preferences.
1. Adhere to the standard Go formatting guidelines, e.g. [Effective Go](https://golang.org/doc/effective_go.html). Run `go fmt`.
2. Stick to the idioms and patterns used in the codebase. Familiar-looking code has a higher chance of being accepted than eerie code. Pay attention to commonly used variable names, avoidance of naked returns, error handling patterns, etc.
3. Comments: follow the advice on the [Commentary](https://golang.org/doc/effective_go.html#commentary) section of Effective Go.
4. Minimize code churn. Only modify what is strictly necessary to get a quicker response from maintainers.
5. Lint your code with [`golangci-lint`](https://golangci-lint.run) (CI will reject your PR if unlinted).
6. Add tests.
7. Title the PR in a meaningful way and describe the rationale and the thought process in the PR description.
8. Write clean, thoughtful, and detailed [commit messages](https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/). This is even more important than the PR description, because commit messages are stored _inside_ the Git history. One good rule is: if you are happy posting the commit message as the PR description, then it's a good commit message.
