My Journey to the JHipster Core Team
It’s been 18 months since I joined the JHipster core team, and what an incredible journey it has been! Today I want to reflect on how it all started back in January 2024 when I was elected to join the team after a successful vote by the members. 🎉
My Path to the Core Team
My relationship with JHipster has been transformative:
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🚀 It quickly turned into my main side project, where I get to apply the techniques I’m learning.
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🛠️ Here, I truly discovered the power of Test-Driven Development (TDD).
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📚 Always growing and learning with this amazing community! 😊
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🎉 The pinnacle came when I was elected to join the JHipster core team in January 2024.
How I Introduced Myself
When I joined the core team in January 2024, here’s how I introduced myself:
My name is Renan Franca, and I have been a software engineer since 2008. I am a big fan of JHipster! I first encountered JHipster in 2021 while creating a side project to monitor my baby girl’s status: https://renanfranca.github.io/i-built-a-baby-care-web-app-using-jhipster.html Since then, I have been maintaining a blog to promote JHipster https://renanfranca.github.io
My first contribution to the jhipster-generator was on 07/2021: https://github.com/jhipster/generator-jhipster/pull/15724. After blogging for a while, I decided to contribute to the JHipster Lite project and wrote about the experience here: https://renanfranca.github.io/how-did-i-earn-money-to-fix-an-issue-from-an-open-source-software.html. Then, I made 10 contributions to the JHipster Lite project (https://github.com/jhipster/jhipster-lite/pulls?q=is%3Apr+author%3A%40me+is%3Aclosed).
I’d like to join the core team because I truly love this project and the community. Recently, I realized my ambition isn’t to create new side projects anymore. Now, my goal is to adopt the JHipster project as my primary side project.
My Contribution Journey
My contributions until today (2025-07-10):
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I contributed with more than 73 merged Pull Requests at JHipster Lite Project
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I also contributed to the JHipster Lite Extension project with 7 merged Pull Requests
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I am currently working on the CLI version of JHLite called JHipster Lite CLI Project, with 9 Pull Requests merged
This CLI project was the first major project I built using jhipster-lite to assist me, marking my first coding experience with it.
From Wishful Thinking to Reality
Back in January 2023, I wrote a post about how I earned money by fixing an issue in JHipster Lite. At the end of that post, I shared a goal that was close to my heart:
“I am planning to continue to contribute to the jhlite project by fixing issues and keep writing blog posts about my experience with jhipster.
One day, I wish to be part of the jhipster core team 😊!”
It’s incredible how aspirations can become reality when you’re persistent and passionate about what you do. Just one year after writing those words, what seemed like a distant dream became true when I was elected to join the core team!
This journey shows the power of setting goals and consistently working toward them. Through each pull request, each blog post, and each interaction with the community, I was building the path that would eventually lead me to where I am today.
18 Months of Growth
The past year and a half as a core team member has been filled with learning, collaboration, and growth. I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside incredibly talented developers, contribute to major releases, and help shape the future of JHipster.
Being part of this community has reinforced my belief in the power of open source and collaborative development. The skills I’ve gained and the connections I’ve made have been invaluable not just to my work with JHipster, but to my career as a whole.
What’s Next?
As I look ahead to the future, I’m excited about the continued evolution of JHipster and my role within it. There are always new challenges to tackle, features to implement, and improvements to make.
I’m grateful for the trust placed in me by the JHipster community, and I remain committed to contributing my best work to this project that has become such an important part of my professional journey.
Lastly, let me extend an invitation to join me on my journey 🚀 in the realm of software development. I share my insights, experiences, and valuable resources on LinkedIn 📎. Following me on these platforms not only keeps you updated on my latest posts and projects 📬 but also opens doors to vibrant discussions and learning opportunities. I look forward to connecting with you! 💼
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