> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guidebook.theopensourceway.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guidebook.theopensourceway.org/getting-started.md).

# Getting Started

Wherever you are in your journey as an open source practitioner, it is always useful to understand and pay attention to the basics. These basics include some of the types of *common knowledge* that "everyone knows in the community", yet no one is sure how they learned it, and it's not always written down. The chapters in this section are good places to start for practioners of all levels.

This section contains chapters that:

* Introduce some core concepts around open source communities.
* Outline steps you might take in starting an open source project.
* Define key terms and words you will encounter throughout this guidebook.

This section is useful for you if:

* You are unsure where to start.
* You want to read an overview of the steps of starting a new open source project.
* You want to see what steps to take for growing strong community.
* You are looking for the definition or more meaning about a term or word you encounter in this guidebook or in the open source world in general.
* You like to read things from the beginning.


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