Frequently asked questions

A programme run by Google in which contributors new to open source work on an open-source project for several months, with mentors, and receive a stipend. Mentoring organisations such as Elixpo provide the project ideas and the mentors. See the home page or the official site.

Elixpo is applying to be a mentoring organisation for Google Summer of Code 2027. Google selects participating organisations and announces them after the application period.

In 2027 we plan to mentor one contributor, so every accepted contributor gets two mentors' full attention.

Google sets eligibility, and the rules can change each year. Read them on the official Google Summer of Code site.

90 hours (small) or 175 hours (medium). Four ideas are 175 hours and two are 90 hours. We do not offer 350-hour projects.

Difficulty is Easy, Intermediate or Hard, as Google defines them. One idea is Easy, three are Intermediate and two are Hard. Each idea page states its level.

Ayushman Bhattacharya, Vivek Yadav and Divyanshu. Each idea has a primary mentor (the contributor's main contact) and a backup mentor (who can step in). See Mentors.

Ayushman Bhattacharya (lead organisation administrator) and Vivek Yadav. They manage Elixpo's application and its communication with Google.

No. No Google Summer of Code idea involves payments, pricing or paid features, and Elixpo does not currently accept sponsorship funds. See Money and commercial interests.

• Before acceptance. The warm-up tasks and the core of every idea run locally without decrypting any Elixpo configuration. Local databases, fixtures and fake services stand in for real ones; features that need real services are skipped or mocked. The warm-up page gives the commands for each project.
• Encrypted configuration. Elixpo uses SOPS to keep configuration encrypted in its repositories. Do not try to decrypt configuration or commit it. If setup asks you for a secret, report it as a setup issue in the repository.
• After acceptance. The organisation administrators grant SOPS access scoped to what the project needs, for example integration tests or a staging environment, and revoke it when the programme ends. Never share keys. Access follows the Code of Conduct and the commitment on the agreements page.

Yes. Describe it in an email to gsoc@elixpo.com first. It must fit one codebase and have a mentor who agrees to review it.

Google sets the number of proposals you may submit. We prefer one well-researched proposal supported by a contribution to that idea's repository.

Yes. A small contribution to the repository for your idea is part of our selection criteria. Each idea page lists warm-up tasks, and the contributor guide describes how to begin.

For research and learning, yes. If an AI tool produced a meaningful part of your code, you must disclose it. Proposals written by AI are not accepted. Read the AI policy.

You must submit your final proposal through the official GSoC website. Use our proposal template.

Google publishes the official dates. See the timeline for the programme stages and a link to Google's timeline.

Email gsoc@elixpo.com with questions about the programme or an idea, and report defects as an issue in the relevant repository. GitHub Discussions for GSoC 2027 will open once Google announces the programme dates. See Contact.