--- title: Contributing ---
# How can you contribute to the Dynare Project ? As a [free and open-source software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software) project, we think of Dynare as a community. Though primary development is undertaken to varying degrees by a [core team](/about#team), we encourage others to be involved in any way that interests them. That could be anything from attending the [Dynare Conference](#come-to-the-conference), to participating actively in the [Dynare Forum](#participate-actively-in-the-forum), to spotting and [reporting bugs](#reporting-bugs), to directly making [changes to the codebase](#code-development). [Financial contributions](#financial-contributions) also help ensure the continued stability of the Dynare project. ## Project Contributions ### Come to the Conference Every year we organize the Dynare Conference, usually in the summer. Participation is encouraged even if your paper does not use Dynare. The application period opens in May and will be announced on this website. ### Participate actively in the forum The [Dynare Forum](https://forum.dynare.org/) is a great resource to turn to when you're stuck. Along with the manual, it should be a point of reference when working with Dynare. As an advanced user, your contribution will be useful in several ways. First and foremost, you'll be helping out others who are just beginning on the same path that you're already on. Second, you may be able to bring a perspective to the table that's different than that of a beginner and that of someone on the [core team](/about#team). Finally, your participation will help foster a larger sense of community and will hopefully allow you gain a deeper understanding of something you already understand well. ### Reporting Bugs If you find a bug, we want to know about it! But, first, before you tell us about it, make sure it's a real bug. Head over to the [Dynare Forum](https://forum.dynare.org/) and search for the problem you've encountered; maybe someone else has encountered the same issue and what you think is a bug is actually intentional behavior. If there's nothing on the forum and you're not certain it's a bug, please post a question there. We'll see it and respond accordingly. If, however, you're sure it's a real bug, please report it on our Gitlab Issue page. But! Before you do, ensure you are working with the latest version of Dynare. - If reporting a bug in the ***stable*** version of Dynare:

Ensure the bug exists in the [latest stable version of Dynare](/download#stable) telling us exactly how to reproduce the problem.

- If reporting a bug in the ***unstable*** version of Dynare:

Ensure the bug exists in the most recent version of the Dynare source code. You can either test it by installing the latest [Dynare snapshot](/download#snapshot) or by compliing the source code from the [Git repository](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare).

If you have encountered a bug in the stable version of Dynare, there's a chance we have already fixed it. You can see a list of bugs fixed on the [fixed bugs Wiki page](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/wikis/FixedBugs). There's also a chance the bug has already been reported. You can see a list of reported bugs by checking both the [known bugs Wiki page](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/wikis/KnownBugs) and the [Gitlab Issue page](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=bug). Once you have ensured you're working with the correct version of Dynare and that this bug has not yet been reported, report the bug on our [Gitlab Issue page](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/issues), providing all the code necessary (`.mod` files, `.m` files, data) to reproduce the bug. If working with a larger `.mod` file, please pare it down as much as possible. This will help us find the bug more quickly. ### Fixing Bugs Even more helpful than finding a bug is to take a crack at fixing it yourself. First things first though, please [report the bug](#reporting-bugs)! In your report, if you'd like to fix it as well, please indicate as much. We'll take a look at the bug and tell you if it's ok to proceed or if we prefer to fix it ourselves. ### Code development We track the issues we're working on our [Gitlab Issue page](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/issues). You can organize those issues by the tags associated with them (e.g. [bug](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=bug), [enhancement](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=enhancement), [documentation](https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare/issues?scope=all&utf8=%E2%9C%93&state=opened&label_name[]=documentation), etc.). An individual issue may have an assignee associated with it. If you find an issue you'd like to work on that doesn't have an assignee, feel free to manifest your interest in working on it. Further, if it does have an assignee but the issue itself is very old, let us know you're interested in working on it too. To get started, assuming you have Git installed on your machine you can obtain the latest development version of the Dynare source code with the following command: {% highlight text %}git clone https://git.dynare.org/Dynare/dynare.git{% endhighlight %} As Dynare is [free software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software) licensed under the [GNU General Public License (GPL)](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.en.html), any enhancements you make to the Dynare codebase would need to be under GPLv3+ or some other compatible license (e.g. public domain) so that it could be merged back into Dynare. ## Financial Contributions Contrary to proprietary software, as a [free and open-source software](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software) platform, we do not recieve funding by licensing the use of Dynare. That means that Dynare will remain a public good that will always be free to download, free to use, and free to modify. As we don't receive revenue from licensing the use of Dynare (and as we run the summer school at cost so as not to set up barriers to participation), we depend on financing from various institutions. That financing is often linked either to improvements in the Dynare source code itself or the maintenance of Dynare when used in a production enviornment where responsiveness is of the essence. If you or your institution would like finance an enhancement to Dynare or would like to create a maintenance contract, please get in touch.