We continue our series of interviews with Mockoon's open-source contributors with Ankit Jain.
For an open-source project, the community plays a major role in building innovative products. No matter the form the contribution takes, feedback, code contribution, bug reports, or word of mouth, Mockoon wouldn't be what it has become without all of you. We started this series of interviews to put some more light on the contributors who spent time crafting features or fixing bugs for the benefit of all. Today, we are talking with Ankit Jain, who shares his enthusiasm for contributing to and using Mockoon.
Hello, I'm Ankit Jain (@ajatkj) from Mumbai, India. I've been in software development since 2010, mainly focusing on backend work using COBOL and Oracle DB in the banking sector. Over time, I've dabbled in various technologies like bash shell scripting, Python for automations, Docker, HTML, and CSS. During the Covid pandemic, I got into JavaScript, thanks to an app called Scriptable. Since then, I've built a few websites using Reactjs and Nextjs. Currently, I'm freelancing as a full-stack developer, working with Python for backend and React for frontend projects. (BTW still got a soft spot for COBOL :D). Outside of work, I'm a huge fan of Iron Maiden, Metallica, and other metal bands. I also follow Arsenal FC with unwavering passion.
My advice to those interested in contributing to open source is simple: don't force it. Let your contributions arise naturally from your usage and familiarity with the software.
I've been using Mockoon for about one year now, initially for a client project but later integrating it into my personal projects. One aspect I'm particularly proud of is my contributions to the faker request helpers. Collaborating on these pull requests with Guillaume (editor's note: our founder) has been a rewarding experience, and I've enjoyed enhancing the functionality of Mockoon through these contributions.
💡 Ankit notably added support for JSON path in release v5.0.0 and helped us migrate to Faker.js v8 in release v5.1.0
My journey with Mockoon began with addressing my own needs through a couple of pull requests. While my first contribution may have been modest, it gave me the confidence to propose a new feature for request helpers. Though initially daunting, with Guillaume's guidance, I was able to implement json-path support for all helpers. Through Mockoon, I've found a platform to channel my passion for open source, expanding my contributions and improving my skills in the process.
Open source has always been a passion of mine, but juggling contributions with other commitments was challenging during my previous employment. However, with more flexibility now, I can dedicate additional time to open-source endeavors, further nurturing my love for community-driven development.
Learning from the diverse pool of open-source maintainers has been invaluable in shaping my development journey and advancing my career.
My advice to those interested in contributing to open source is simple: don't force it. Let your contributions arise naturally from your usage and familiarity with the software. Once you're immersed in the community, contributing will feel like second nature.
Engaging with open source has broadened my horizons and exposed me to new concepts and practices. Learning from the diverse pool of open-source maintainers has been invaluable in shaping my development journey and advancing my career.
Mockoon stands out to me for its robust helper functions, offering a lot of flexibility. This feature has been indispensable in my workflow, allowing me to craft complex mock APIs effortlessly.
We've seamlessly integrated Mockoon into our end-to-end CI pipeline, significantly streamlining our workflow. Its user-friendly interface and powerful features have simplified the process of API mocking, enhancing our development efficiency.
Outside of Mockoon, Vim editor holds a special place in my toolkit. Its versatility and efficiency make it my go-to choice for a lot of my daily tasks. It was also the first open-source software that I used and contributed to.
Check out my GitHub for Scriptable repo among a few others.
We thank Ankit for sharing his journey with us. We are grateful he chose to dedicate his time and talent to improving projects like Mockoon, making it an indispensable tool for developers worldwide.
More interviews are in the pipeline. Be sure not to miss any by subscribing to our newsletter or joining our Discord server. Happy mocking!
Let's take a look back at 2024 (and 2023?) and celebrate Mockoon's 7th birthday!
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