Whether you’re a student looking for inspiration, a developer eager to contribute to open source, or someone just exploring what’s possible with code—GitHub is the place to be.
But with over 330 million repositories and counting, how do you actually find a project that’s right for you?
This blog walks you through the most effective ways to discover projects on GitHub—quickly and efficiently.
📌 1. Use GitHub’s Built-in Search Bar
At the top of every GitHub page is a search bar. You can use it to find repositories by keywords, technology, or functionality.
🔧 Example Searches:
todo app reactpython web scraperportfolio website css
After searching, click on the “Repositories” tab to view relevant projects.
🧰 Refine with Filters:
- Sort by: Best match, most stars, most forks, recently updated
- Language: Filter by programming language
- License: Choose projects with open-source-friendly licenses
- Stars: Use
stars:>100to filter by popularity
🔗 Try it out:
https://github.com/search?q=portfolio+website+language:HTML+stars:%3E50
🚀 2. Explore Trending Repositories
GitHub’s Trending page highlights what’s hot in the developer world.
👉 Visit: https://github.com/trending
You can filter by:
- Language
- Date Range: Daily, weekly, or monthly
This is a fantastic way to discover new tools, libraries, and side projects that are actively gaining traction.
🏷️ 3. Browse by Topics
GitHub allows repository owners to tag their projects with topics. These topics serve as categories, making it easier to find relevant projects.
👉 Explore at: https://github.com/topics
Example Topics:
Each topic page lists popular and actively maintained repositories.
👥 4. Search by Organization or Developer
If you admire a tech company or open-source contributor, you can view all their public projects by visiting their GitHub profile.
Example URLs:
- Facebook (Meta):
https://github.com/facebook - Microsoft:
https://github.com/microsoft - Vercel:
https://github.com/vercel
You’ll find battle-tested frameworks like React, TypeScript, and Next.js here.
🤝 5. Use GitHub Explore
GitHub also curates content for users through the Explore tab.
👉 Start here: https://github.com/explore
Explore features:
- Curated project collections
- Trending developers
- Community recommendations
This is ideal for casual discovery or finding beginner-friendly repositories to contribute to.
🔄 Bonus: Find Good First Issues to Contribute
Looking to contribute to open source? Use the label good first issue to find beginner-friendly bugs or features.
Search:
label:"good first issue" is:open
Or visit GitHub’s dedicated page:
👉 https://github.com/topics/good-first-issue
💡 Final Thoughts
Finding the right project on GitHub is about more than typing keywords—it’s about knowing how to filter, explore, and evaluate what’s out there.
Whether you’re here to learn, build, or contribute, GitHub has something for everyone. Use the strategies above to navigate with confidence and discover projects that align with your interests and goals.
