What is GSOC?

Last updated: February 8, 2026Reviewed date: February 8, 2026Reading time: 9 min read
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Open source software is changing the world and creating the future. Want to help shaping it? We’re looking for students to join us in making 2017 the best Summer of Code yet! STUDENTS: THE PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PERIOD WILL BE OPEN UNTIL April 3rd Google Summer of Code Program Site OWASP is an open community dedicated to enabling organizations to conceive, develop, acquire, operate, and maintain...

Key Takeaways

  • This article explains What is GSOC? in simple medical language.
  • This article explains Instructions common to all participants in simple medical language.
  • This article explains Instructions for students in simple medical language.
  • This article explains Instructions for OWASP Project Leaders in simple medical language.
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Open source software is changing the world and creating the future. Want to help shaping it? We’re looking for students to join us in making 2017 the best Summer of Code yet!

STUDENTS: THE PROPOSAL SUBMISSION PERIOD WILL BE OPEN UNTIL April 3rd

Google Summer of Code Program Site

OWASP is an open community dedicated to enabling organizations to conceive, develop, acquire, operate, and maintain applications that can be trusted.

All students currently enrolled in an accredited institution are welcome to participate in the Google Summer of Code 2017 program, hopefully along with the OWASP Foundation.

Below you could find all the instructions on how to participate.

What is GSOC?

The Google Summer of Code program (“GSoC”) is designed to encourage student participation in open source development. Through GSoC, accepted student applicants will be paired with OWASP mentors that will guide them through their coding tasks.

Benefits to students include:

  • Gaining exposure to real-world software development scenarios,
  • An opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits and
  • Google will be offering successful student contributors a 5,500 USD stipend, enabling them to focus on their coding projects for three months.

This program is done completely online. Students and mentors from more than 100 countries have participated in past years.

Instructions common to all participants

All participants should take a look at the Google Summer of Code Program Site every now and then to be informed about updates and advice. It is also important to read the Summer of Code FAQ, as it contains useful information. All participants will need a Google account in order to join the program. You’ll save some time if you create one now.

Programming Language

While the majority of OWASP tools are developed using C++/Java, we do accept other languages, including (but not limited to) Python, Ruby and C#. C++ will be accepted for any project. Submissions and ideas for projects in any other language should specifically mention the choice.

Instructions for students

Are you a student and want to code for an OWASP project? Here are the steps and some tips on getting started:

  1. Think of a good idea – For reference see GSoC 2017 Ideas
  2. Do some research yourself based on the idea, write up a proposal draft
  3. Post it to the mailing list at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/owasp-gsoc for initial discussions with OWASP mentors.
  4. Based on feedback, write a full proposal – See template below: https://www.owasp.org/index.php/GSoC_SAT
  5. Submit your proposal to Google from March 20 thru April 3rd 2017.

Students wishing to participate in GSoC must realize this is a formal commitment to produce code for the selected OWASP Project during three months. You will also take some resources from OWASP project leaders, who will dedicate a portion of their time to mentor you. Therefore, we’d like to have candidates who are committed to helping OWASP mission. You don’t have to be a proven developer — in fact, this whole program is meant to facilitate joining OWASP and other Open Source communities. However, experience in coding and applications are welcome.

You should start familiarising yourself with the components that you plan on working on before the start date. OWASP Project Mentors are available on the mailing list https://groups.google.com/d/forum/owasp-gsoc for help.

General instructions

First of all, please read the instructions common to all participants and the GSoC FAQ. Pay special attention to the Eligibility section of the FAQ.

Getting in touch

  • Google Group: OWASP Organization Administrators and Mentors are available at https://groups.google.com/d/forum/owasp-gsoc ready to answer any questions and discuss any idea.
  • Mailing list: Each project has its own development mailing list (eg. ESAPI: http://lists.owasp.org/pipermail/esapi-dev/). Feel free to subscribe in order to discuss your ideas directly with the project’s contributors.
  • IRC channel: You can find us at irc.freenode.net channel #owasp-gsoc
  • Read Google’s instructions for participating
  • Take a look at the list of ideas
  • Come up with project that you’re interested in
  • Write a first draft proposal and get someone to review it for you
  • Submit it using Google’s web interface

Coming up with an interesting idea is probably the most difficult part of all. It should be something interesting for an OWASP Project, and more importantly for you. It also has to be something that you can realistically achieve in the time available to you.

Finding out what the most pressing issues are in the projects you’re interested in is a good start. You can optionally join the mailing lists for that project: you can make acquaintance with developers and your potential mentor, as well as start learning the codebase. We recommend strongly doing that and we will look favourably on applications from students who have started to act like Open Source developers.

Student proposal guidelines

A project proposal is what you will be judged upon. So, as a general recommendation, write a clear proposal on what you plan to do, what your project is and what it is not, etc. Several websites now contain hints and other useful information on writing up such proposals. OWASP does not require a specific format or specific list of information, but there is an application template on the OWASP page in Google Melange with some specific points that you should address in your application:

  • Who are you? What are you studying?
  • What exactly do you intend to do? What will not be done?
  • Why are you the right person for this task?
  • To what extent are you familiar with the software you’re proposing to work with? Have you used it? Have you read the source? Have you modified the source?
  • How many hours are you going to work on this a week? 10? 20? 30? 40?
  • Do you have other commitments that we should know about? If so, please suggest a way to compensate if it will take much time away from Summer of Code.
  • Are you comfortable working independently under a supervisor or mentor who is several thousand miles away, not to mention 12 time zones away? How will you work with your mentor to track your work? Have you worked in this style before?
  • If your native language is not English, are you comfortable working closely with a supervisor whose native language is English? What is your native language, as that may help us find a mentor who has the same native language?
  • Where do you live, and can we assign a mentor who is local to you so you can meet in a coffee shop for lunch?

After you have written your proposal, you should get it reviewed. Do not rely on the OWASP mentors to do it for you via the web interface: they will only send back a proposal if they find it lacking. Instead, ask a colleague or a developer to do it for you.

Hints

  • Submit your proposal early: early submissions get more attention from developers for the simple fact that they have more time to dedicate to reading them. The more people see it, the more it’ll get known.
  • Do not leave it all to the last minute: while it is Google that is operating the webserver, it would be wise to expect a last-minute overload on the server. So, make sure you send your application before the final rush. Also, note that the applications submitted very late will get the least attention from mentors, so you may get a low vote because of that.
  • Keep it simple: we don’t need a 10-page essay on the project and on you (Google won’t even let you submit a text that long). You just need to be concise and precise.
  • Know what you are talking about: the last thing we need is for students to submit ideas that cannot be accomplished realistically or ideas that aren’t even remotely related to OWASP Projects. If your idea is unusual, be sure to explain why you have chosen OWASP to be your mentoring organisation.
  • Aim wide: submit more than one proposal, to different OWASP Projects. We also recommend submitting to more than one organisation too. This will increase your chances of being chosen.

The PostgreSQL project has also released a list of hints that you can take a look.

Instructions for mentors If you’re a developer and you wish to participate in Summer of Code, you can do it in two ways: the first and easiest is to make a proposal in the [https://www.owasp.org/index.php/GSOC2017_Ideas] page. Take a look at what the different OWASP Projects needs or what you feel should have. Feel free to submit ideas even if you cannot elaborate too much on them.

The second possibility is to be a mentor for a more specific idea. If you wish to do that, please read the instructions common to all participants and the Summer of Code FAQ. Also, please contact the project leader for your application or module and get the go-ahead from them. Then edit the ideas page, adding your idea.

Your idea proposal should be a brief description of what the project is, what the desired goals would be, what the student should know and your email address for contact. Please note, though, that the students are not required to follow your idea to the letter, so regard your proposal as just a suggestion.

Mentoring

If you wish to help us even more, you can be an OWASP mentor. We will potentially assign a student to you who has never worked on such a large project and will need some help. Make sure you’re up for the task. When subscribing yourself as a mentor, please make sure that your application or module maintainer is aware of that. Ask them to send the Summer of Code OWASP Administrators an email confirming to know you. This is just a formality to make sure you are a real person we can trust — the administrators cannot know all active developers by their Google account ID.

If you would like to get an idea of what is involved in being a good mentor, be sure to read the mentoring guide.

You will be subscribed to a mailing list to discuss ideas. We will also require you to read the proposals as they come in and you will be allowed to vote on the proposals, according to rules we will publish later.

Finally, know that we will never assign you to a project you do not want to work on. We will not assign you more projects than you can/want to take on either. And you will have a backup mentor, just in case something unforeseen takes place.

Subscribing as mentor

To subscribe as mentor, you need to complete a few easy steps.

Instructions for OWASP Project Leaders

If you are an OWASP Project Leader, you may be contacted by developers in your project about an idea they want to submit. You should judge whether the idea being proposed coincides with the general goals for your OWASP Project. If you feel that is not the case, you should reply to your developer and suggest that they modify the proposal. You do not need yourself to be a mentor, but we would like you to.

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What to tell the doctor

  • Write when the problem started and how it changed.
  • Bring old prescriptions, investigation reports, and current medicines.
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  • When should I come for follow-up?

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  • Vital signs: temperature, pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation
  • Basic physical examination by a clinician
  • CBC, urine test, blood sugar, or imaging only when clinically needed

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  • Do not hide pregnancy, kidney disease, ulcer, allergy, or blood thinner use.
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Safe first steps

  • Avoid heavy lifting, sudden bending, and prolonged bed rest.
  • Use comfortable posture and gentle movement as tolerated.
  • Discuss physiotherapy, X-ray, or MRI only when clinically needed.

OTC medicine safety

  • For mild back pain, pain-relief medicine may be discussed with a doctor or pharmacist.
  • Avoid repeated painkiller use if you have kidney disease, stomach ulcer, uncontrolled blood pressure, or are taking blood thinners.

Avoid these mistakes

  • Do not start antibiotics without a proper medical decision.
  • Do not use steroid tablets or injections casually for quick relief.
  • Do not delay emergency care because of home remedies.

Get urgent help if

  • Back pain with leg weakness, numbness around private area, loss of urine/stool control, fever, cancer history, or major injury needs urgent care.
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  • Relevant blood, urine, imaging, or specialist tests only after clinical assessment
Questions to ask
  • What is the most likely cause of my symptoms?
  • Which warning signs mean I should go to emergency care?
  • Which tests are really needed now?
  • Which medicines are safe for my age, pregnancy status, allergy, kidney/liver/stomach condition, and current medicines?

Emergency warning signs such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, sudden weakness, confusion, severe dehydration, major injury, or loss of bladder/bowel control need urgent medical care. Do not wait for online information.

Safe pathway to proper treatment

Back pain care roadmap

Use this simple roadmap to understand the next safe steps. It is educational and does not replace examination by a doctor.

Go to emergency care if you notice:
  • New leg weakness, numbness around private area, or loss of bladder/bowel control
  • Back pain after major injury, fever, unexplained weight loss, cancer history, or severe night pain
Doctor / service to discuss: Orthopedic/spine specialist, physical medicine doctor, physiotherapist under guidance, or qualified clinician.
  1. Step 1

    Check danger signs first

    If danger signs are present, seek emergency care and do not wait for online information.

  2. Step 2

    Record the symptom story

    Write when symptoms started, severity, medicines already taken, allergies, pregnancy status, and test results.

  3. Step 3

    Visit a qualified clinician

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  4. Step 4

    Do only useful tests

    Discuss neurological examination first. X-ray or MRI may be needed only when red flags, injury, nerve weakness, or persistent severe symptoms are present.

  5. Step 5

    Follow up and return early if worse

    If symptoms worsen, new warning signs appear, or treatment is not helping, return for review quickly.

Rural patient practical tips
  • Take a written symptom diary and all previous prescriptions/test reports.
  • Do not hide medicines already taken, even herbal or over-the-counter medicines.
  • Ask which warning signs mean urgent referral to hospital.
  • Avoid forceful massage or bone-setting when there is weakness, injury, fever, or nerve symptoms.

This roadmap is for education. A real diagnosis and treatment plan requires history, examination, and clinical judgment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is GSOC?

The Google Summer of Code program (“GSoC”) is designed to encourage student participation in open source development. Through GSoC, accepted student applicants will be paired with OWASP mentors that will guide them through their coding tasks. Benefits to students include: Gaining exposure to real-world software development scenarios, An opportunity for employment in areas related to their academic pursuits and Google will be offering successful student contributors a 5,500 USD stipend, enabling them to focus on their coding projects for three…

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