Contributing - Commune

Welcome Contributors

Commune is source available and we welcome contributions from the community. Whether you’re fixing bugs, adding features, improving documentation, or helping other users, your contributions make Commune better for everyone.

License Information

Commune backend is licensed under Business Source License 1.1 (BSL), which allows: ✅ Non-production use - Development, testing, and experimentation
✅ Internal use - Use within your own organization
✅ Embedded use - As part of a larger application that isn’t competitive
✅ Educational use - Study and learn from the code
✅ Contributions - Submit pull requests and help improve the platform ❌ Competitive hosting - Cannot offer as a hosted email API service competing with Commune’s paid services After 4 years, each version converts to Apache 2.0 license. For full details, see backend/LICENSE.md.

Ways to Contribute

Report Issues

Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue on GitHub. When reporting bugs, include:

Clear description of the issue
Steps to reproduce
Expected vs actual behavior
Environment details (Node.js version, OS, etc.)
Relevant logs or error messages

Submit Pull Requests

Ready to contribute code? We’d love to review your PR! Before submitting:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Make your changes
Write or update tests
Ensure all tests pass
Commit with clear messages
Push to your fork
Open a Pull Request

Improve Documentation

Documentation improvements are always welcome! Fix typos, clarify explanations, or add examples.

Help Other Users

Answer questions in GitHub Discussions or help triage issues.

Development Setup

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ and npm
MongoDB (local or cloud)
Redis (optional, for caching)
Git

Clone and Install

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/shanjairaj7/commune.git
cd commune

# Install backend dependencies
cd backend
npm install

# Install frontend dependencies
cd ../frontend
npm install

# Install SDK dependencies
cd ../sdk
npm install

# Install Python SDK dependencies
cd ../commune-python
pip install -e .

# Install MCP server dependencies
cd ../commune-mcp
pip install -e .

Environment Setup

Create .env files in the backend directory:

# backend/.env
MONGO_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/commune
JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret-here
PORT=3000

# Optional
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379
EMAIL_ENCRYPTION_KEY=64-char-hex-string

Run Locally

# Start backend (from backend directory)
npm run dev

# Start frontend (from frontend directory)
npm run dev

# Backend runs on http://localhost:3000
# Frontend runs on http://localhost:3001

Project Structure

commune/
├── backend/          # Express API server
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── routes/   # API endpoints
│   │   ├── services/ # Business logic
│   │   ├── stores/   # Database layer
│   │   └── lib/      # Utilities
│   └── docs/         # Backend documentation
├── frontend/         # Next.js dashboard
│   └── src/
│       ├── app/      # App router pages
│       └── components/
├── sdk/              # TypeScript SDK
├── commune-python/   # Python SDK
├── commune-mcp/      # MCP server
└── docs/             # Documentation site

Coding Standards

TypeScript/JavaScript

Use TypeScript for type safety
Follow existing code style
Run npm run lint before committing
Add JSDoc comments for public APIs

Python

Follow PEP 8 style guide
Use type hints
Run black for formatting
Add docstrings for public functions

Commit Messages

Use clear, descriptive commit messages:

feat: add webhook retry mechanism
fix: resolve thread resolution bug
docs: update authentication guide
test: add email validation tests

Testing

Backend Tests

cd backend
npm test

SDK Tests

cd sdk
npm test

Python SDK Tests

cd commune-python
pytest

Code Review Process

Automated checks run on every PR (tests, linting, type checking)
Maintainer review — we’ll review your code and provide feedback
Iterate — address feedback and push updates
Merge — once approved, we’ll merge your PR

Architecture Overview

Backend

Express.js REST API
MongoDB for data storage
Redis for caching and rate limiting
Resend for email delivery

Key Services

emailService.ts — Core email sending/receiving logic
messageStore.ts — Message and thread persistence
webhookDeliveryService.ts — Reliable webhook delivery

Security Layers

Rate limiting (Redis-backed)
Email validation (MX lookup, disposable detection)
Content scanning (spam, prompt injection)
Encryption at rest (AES-256-GCM)

Good First Issues

Look for issues tagged with good first issue on GitHub. These are beginner-friendly tasks that help you get familiar with the codebase.

Community Guidelines

Be respectful — treat everyone with kindness
Be constructive — provide helpful feedback
Be patient — maintainers review PRs as time allows
Ask questions — we’re here to help!

License

Commune backend is licensed under Business Source License 1.1 (BSL). By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the same BSL terms. After 4 years, contributions become available under Apache 2.0 license.

Connect with us

GitHub

Source code, issues, and pull requests.

Twitter / X

Follow for updates, launches, and product announcements.

GitHub Discussions

Ask questions and share ideas with the community.

Email Support

support@commune.email — for bugs, questions, or partnership inquiries.

​Welcome Contributors

​License Information

​Ways to Contribute

​Report Issues

​Submit Pull Requests

​Improve Documentation

​Help Other Users

​Development Setup

​Prerequisites

​Clone and Install

​Environment Setup

​Run Locally

​Project Structure

​Coding Standards

​TypeScript/JavaScript

​Python

​Commit Messages

​Testing

​Backend Tests

​SDK Tests

​Python SDK Tests

​Code Review Process

​Architecture Overview

​Backend

​Key Services

​Security Layers

​Good First Issues

​Community Guidelines

​License

​Connect with us