Contributing

Thanks for your interest in contributing to TREK! Here are the guidelines for submitting pull requests.

Before You Start

• Ask in Discord first — Before writing any code, pitch your idea in the #github-pr channel on our Discord server. We'll let you know if the PR is wanted and give direction. PRs without prior approval will be closed
• Check existing issues — Look for open issues or discussions before starting work
• Target the dev branch — All PRs must be opened against dev, not main
• One thing per PR — Keep PRs focused on a single change. Don't bundle unrelated fixes

Pull Request Guidelines

Code Quality

• Write clean, readable code that matches the existing style
• No unnecessary abstractions or over-engineering
• Don't add features beyond what was discussed in the issue
• Don't add comments unless the logic isn't self-evident
• Don't add error handling for scenarios that can't happen

What We Look For

• Does it solve the stated problem? — The PR should match the issue it addresses
• Is it minimal? — No extra refactoring, no "while I'm here" changes
• Does it break anything? — Breaking changes are not acceptable
• Is the code clean? — Consistent style, no debug logs, no dead code

Commit Messages

Use conventional commits:

fix(component): short description of what was fixed
feat(component): short description of new feature

PR Description

Include:

1. Summary — What does this PR do? (1-3 bullet points)
2. Test plan — How was this tested?
3. Related issue — Link the issue (e.g. Fixes #123)

What Will Get Your PR Closed

• PRs that weren't discussed and approved in #github-pr on Discord first
• PRs that add unnecessary complexity (e.g. a redo button when undo already exists)
• PRs with breaking changes
• PRs that change code style or formatting across unrelated files
• PRs that add dependencies without justification

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/mauriceboe/TREK.git
cd TREK

# Server
cd server
npm install
npm run dev

# Client (separate terminal)
cd client
npm install
npm run dev

• Server runs on http://localhost:3001
• Client runs on http://localhost:5173 (with proxy to server)

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	React 18, TypeScript, Zustand, Leaflet, Tailwind CSS, Vite
Backend	Express, TypeScript, better-sqlite3
Real-time	WebSocket (ws)
Database	SQLite with WAL mode
Auth	JWT (HS256), bcrypt, TOTP MFA, OIDC
Maps	Leaflet + react-leaflet, OSRM, Nominatim, CartoDB tiles
i18n	13 languages (EN, DE, ES, FR, NL, IT, PT-BR, CS, PL, HU, RU, ZH, AR)