How to write a good README.md file? ✨
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What is a README file?
A README is a file that introduces and explains a project. So, for showcasing your projects a good README.md file is very important. It also helps new contributors to start their open source journey.
How to create a Good one?
While creating a good README.md file following points should be kept in mind:
- Add Project Logos and Banner: Incorporating these in README.md make it attractive and beautiful.
- Badges: Badges make README.md files cool. It helps users to grab certain things quickly.
- Contributing Guidelines: Always mention contribution guidelines to encourage contributors.
- Mention Project Details: Always mention project details like — Project Description, Inspirations, Frameworks/Languages Used, Features, Installation, References, etc.
- Add Screenshots and Demo Videos or links: Try to give a glimpse of the project through Visuals and Graphics.
- Try to use GIFs and Emojis 😉 : It makes README.md files interesting, engaging and eye-catchy.
- Use Markdown Syntax effectively: Make use of different formats available in markdown like lists, tables, quotes, code, etc.
- Give Acknowledgments: Always acknowledge the contributors and authors who helped in your project in some or another way.
- Create an Index: It is suggested for long README.md files to make an index with internal links for easy navigation.
Some Useful Resources :
📝 Some examples of Good README.md
— https://github.com/aimeos/aimeos-typo3#readme
— https://github.com/amitmerchant1990/electron-markdownify#readme
— https://github.com/ai/size-limit#readme
💎 Guide to Markdown
— https://guides.github.com/features/mastering-markdown/
— https://lab.github.com/githubtraining/communicating-using-markdown
🙌 Acknowledging Contributors
— https://contrib.rocks/preview
— https://allcontributors.org/
🌈 Design Tools
— https://github.com/bradtraversy/design-resources-for-developers (Tons of resources are listed here)
— https://www.canva.com/
💻 Tools/Templates for Generating README
— https://github.com/kefranabg/readme-md-generator#readme
— https://www.makeareadme.com/
— https://rahuldkjain.github.io/gh-profile-readme-generator/
🔥 Badges
— https://shields.io/category/social
— https://forthebadge.com/
— https://github.com/alexandresanlim/Badges4-README.md-Profile
Thank you for reading. Hope you liked the article and resources. Now, Go create a project with Awesome README files. 🎉
Do share the links in the comments... Would love to see them!
