In this chapter the different ways of contributing to PEAR will be discussed. The most common way of contributing to PEAR is to open a bug or feature request at our Bug Tracker. You might also add a patch to an existing bug, or add a helpful note to the user manual for a package that you use regularly. If you wish to step in deeper, some packages are in need of better documentation, and you could mail suggestions in text or docbook format to pear-doc@lists.php.net. The next level of commitment to PEAR is offering to become a regular developer for a specific package that you use often. This is easily accomplished by emailing the current active developers and asking where to begin.

If you decide to take the full plunge and contribute a brand new package to PEAR, then you will need to fulfill a number of guidelines and requirements. If you are unsure if your package belongs in PEAR, contact the developers mailing list.