---
title: "Contribution checklist"
url: "https://docs.yugabyte.com/stable/contribute/core-database/checklist/"
---

# Contribution checklist

Review the steps to start contributing code and documentation.

Checklist for contributing to the core database.

## Step 1. Build the source

- First, clone [the YugabyteDB GitHub repo](https://github.com/yugabyte/yugabyte-db "the YugabyteDB GitHub repo").
  
  ```bash
  git clone https://github.com/yugabyte/yugabyte-db.git
  ```
- Next, [build the source code](/stable/contribute/core-database/build-from-src-almalinux "build the source code").
- Optionally, you may want to [run the unit tests](/stable/contribute/core-database/build-and-test#test "run the unit tests").

## Step 2. Start a local cluster

Having built the source, you can [start a local cluster](/stable/quick-start/macos/ "start a local cluster").

## Step 3. Make the change

You should now make your change, recompile the code and test out your change.

Note

You should read the [code style guide](/stable/contribute/core-database/coding-style "code style guide").

## Step 4. Add unit tests

Depending on the change, you should add unit tests to make sure they do not break as the codebase is modified.

## Step 5. Re-run unit tests

Re-run the unit tests with your changes and make sure all tests pass.

## Step 6. Submit a pull request

Congratulations on the change! You should now submit a pull request for a code review and leave a message on the Slack channel. Once the code review passes, your code will get merged in.