# Extending Avalanche

```python
!pip install avalanche-lib==0.5
```

Having learned how to use all the *Avalanche* main features, you may end up willing to customize the framework a little to suit your eagerness for continually better functionalities (as a true *continual learner* would indeed do! ⚡).

Hence, now is the time to get your hands dirty! 🙌

Take you time to explore the [Avalanche API](https://avalanche-api.continualai.org) in great detail. We made sure everything is well documented (even if improvable), but try to take a look at the code as well to resolve any uncertainties (of course if you have any questions [don't hesitate to ask](https://avalanche.continualai.org/questions-and-issues/add-your-issue))

You can start by [cloning the repo and installing Avalanche in "Developer Mode"](https://avalanche.continualai.org/getting-started/how-to-install#developer-mode-install).

We suggest delving into the code using an appropriate IDE, such as [PyCharm](https://www.jetbrains.com/pycharm/). This will help you navigate the code better and with tons of cool discovery features. Once you have a clear understanding of the entire codebase (or at least the module you'd like to extend/customize) you can start making changes.

If you think your changes may be interesting for the rest of the *Continual Learning* community, why not contribute back to Avalanche? You can learn how to do it in the next chapter.

## 🤝 Run it on Google Colab

You can run *this chapter* and play with it on Google Colaboratory: [![Open In Colab](https://colab.research.google.com/assets/colab-badge.svg)](https://colab.research.google.com/github/ContinualAI/avalanche/blob/master/notebooks/from-zero-to-hero-tutorial/08_extending-avalanche.ipynb)