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+# Contributing
+
+Contributions are welcome and any help that can be offered is greatly appreciated.
+Please take a moment to read the entire contributing guide.
+
+This repository uses the [Feature Branch Workflow](https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/comparing-workflows/feature-branch-workflow),
+meaning that development should take place in `feat/` branches, with the `master` branch being kept in a stable state.
+When you submit pull requests, please make sure to fork from and submit back to `master`.
+
+Other processes and specifications that are in use in this repository are:
+
+-   [Semantic versioning](https://semver.org/)
+-   [Conventional commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0-beta.3/) following the @commitlint/config-conventional config
+-   [Prettier](https://prettier.io/) style guide
+
+## Getting Started
+
+As noted in the prerequisites section of the readme file, this project requires that you have Node.js and Yarn installed.
+
+With those in place you can fork the repo and clone it, and then run `yarn install` to install all dependencies.
+
+### Development Workflow
+
+After cloning and installing all the dependencies, there are several commands available for local development:
+
+-   `yarn lint` - Lints everything in src directory
+-   `yarn jest` - Runs Jest over all tests in src directory
+-   `yarn test` - Runs `yarn lint` and `yarn jest` together
+
+### Production Workflow
+
+-   `yarn start` - Runs a production version. No live reload.
+
+## Pull Request Checklist
+
+Prior to submitting a pull request back to the main repository, please make sure you have completed the following steps:
+
+1. Pull request base branch is set to `master`. All pull requests should be forked from and merged back to `master`
+2. Run `yarn test` to check the code adheres to the defined style and that it passes the Jest tests
+3. Run `yarn prettier` to run the Prettier code formatter over the code
+
+## Release process
+
+When cutting a release, the following steps need to be performed:
+
+1. `package.json` needs to have a version update based on the content being released, remembering to adhere to semantic versioning
+2. Generate the API docs if any changes have been made with `yarn doc`
+3. Generate the changelog with `yarn changelog`
+4. Create a release branch with the convention `release/x.x.x`
+5. Create a tag for the version; the naming convention is the version (vx.x.x)
+6. Push the tag to the repository
+7. Draft a release in the release tab with release notes, copying the notes from the changelog
+
+## Issues
+
+Please file your issues [here](https://github.com/Fdawgs/ydh-sider-authentication-service/issues) and try to provide as much information in the template as possible/relevant.
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