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+# Contributing
+
+Here are all of the steps you should follow whenever contributing to this repo!
+
+---
+
+## Quick Start
+
+### 1. Setting Up the Repo
+
+1. Go to the project [repo](https://github.com/hack4impact/operations-api).
+2. Click the green "Code" button in the top right. Switch to the "HTTPS" tab.
+3. If you are using Github Desktop, click "Open with Github Desktop", otherwise click the "Copy URL to clipboard" button to the right of the URL.
+4. Go into your IDE/terminal and enter `git clone <paste-URL-here>`
+
+### 2. Install Dependencies
+
+```bash
+npm install
+```
+
+### 3. Environment Setup
+
+Create a `.env` file in the root directory and copy fields from `.env.example`:
+
+```env
+# Database Configuration
+DATABASE_URL=your_database_url_here
+DIRECT_URL=your_direct_url_here
+
+# Server Configuration
+PORT=3000
+REST_PORT=3001
+GRAPHQL_PORT=3002
+```
+
+Access the important fields from Vaultwarden from this: https://vault.hack4impact.org/#/login
+
+### 4. Database Setup
+
+```bash
+npx prisma db pull     # Sync schema with database
+npx prisma generate    # Generate Prisma client
+```
+
+### 5. Start Development Server
+
+```bash
+# Start integrated server (both REST & GraphQL)
+npm run dev
+
+# Or start servers separately
+npm run dev:rest       # REST API only
+npm run dev:graphql    # GraphQL API only
+npm run dev:both       # Both servers concurrently
+```
+
+The servers will be available at:
+
+- **Integrated**: <http://localhost:3001>
+- **REST API**: <http://localhost:3002>
+- **GraphQL API**: <http://localhost:3003>
+
+---
+
+## Development Guidelines
+
+_See Style Guide: [STYLE_GUIDE.md](https://github.com/hack4impact/operations-api/blob/main/STYLE_GUIDE.md)_
+
+### Branch Naming Convention
+
+Follow the pattern listed in your issue: `feature/issue-number-description`
+
+- Example: `feature/1-add-volunteer-endpoints`
+- This automatically links branches to GitHub issues
+- Create your branch off of the "develop" branch, not the main.
+
+### Making Changes
+
+1. Before you start making changes, always make sure you're on the develop branch, then `git pull` and `npm i` to make sure your code is up to date
+2. Create a branch `git checkout -b <name-of-branch>`
+3. Make changes to the code
+4. Run ESLint to ensure code standards (see in [style guide](https://github.com/hack4impact/operations-api/blob/main/STYLE_GUIDE.md#eslint)).
+
+### Committing Changes
+
+When interacting with Git/GitHub, feel free to use the command line, VSCode extension, or Github desktop. These steps assume you have already made a branch using `git checkout -b <branch-name>` and you have made all neccessary code changes for the provided task.
+
+1. View diffs of each file you changed using the VSCode Github extension (3rd icon on far left bar of VSCode) or GitHub Desktop
+2. `git add .` (to stage all files) or `git add <file-name>` (to stage specific file)
+3. `git commit -m "<type>[optional scope]: <description>"` or `git commit -m "<type>[optional scope]: <description>" -m "[optional body]"` or `git commit` to get a message prompt
+4. `git push -u origin <name-of-branch>`
+
+### Making Pull Requests
+
+1. Go to the Pull Requests tab on [github.com](https://github.com/)
+2. Find your PR, fill out the PR template
+3. (If applicable, provide a screenshot of your work in the comment area)
+4. Link your PR to the corresponding Issue
+5. Request a reviewer to check your code
+6. Once approved, your code is ready to be merged in 🎉
+
+### Testing
+
+```bash
+npm run test               # Run all tests (Unit &  Integration)
+npm run test:coverage      # Generate coverage report for Unit tests only
+npm run test:integration   # Integration tests only
+npm run test:unit          # Unit tests only
+npm run test:watch         # Watch mode for unit tests
+```