Open Source Project

Open Source Project

When to Use

When creating a new OSS repo, onboarding contributors, launching publicly, or managing community.

1. Repo Setup Checklist

• README — what it does, install, quickstart, screenshot/demo
• LICENSE — choose one (see Licensing below)
• CONTRIBUTING.md — how to contribute, dev setup, PR process
• CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md — Contributor Covenant or similar
• CHANGELOG.md — Keep a Changelog format
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ — bug report + feature request
• .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md — what changed, why, how to test
• .github/FUNDING.yml — if accepting sponsors
• CI — lint + test on every PR

2. Licensing

• MIT — do whatever you want, just keep the copyright. Most permissive.
• Apache 2.0 — like MIT but with patent protection. Good for libraries.
• GPL 3.0 — copyleft, derivatives must also be GPL. Good for tools you want to stay open.
• Check dependencies — run license-checker, pip-licenses, or cargo-license to ensure compatibility
• Rule: don't mix GPL dependencies into MIT projects

3. Community Building

• Write a "Good First Issue" label guide — tag easy issues for newcomers
• Respond to issues/PRs within 48h (even if just "thanks, will review soon")
• Create a CONTRIBUTORS.md or use all-contributors bot
• Discussion channels: GitHub Discussions, Discord, or just Issues
• Write an ARCHITECTURE.md so contributors understand the codebase fast

4. Launch & Marketing

• Before launch: 10+ stars from friends, clean README with demo/screenshot
• Hacker News: title = what it does (not the name). Post Show HN. Best time: Tuesday-Thursday 8-10am EST
• Reddit: find the right subreddit (r/programming, r/webdev, r/selfhosted...). Be genuine, not salesy.
• Product Hunt: prep tagline + description + first comment (founder story). Launch Tuesday-Thursday.
• Twitter/X: thread format — problem → solution → demo → link. Tag relevant people.
• Build in public: share progress, decisions, metrics. People root for transparent builders.

5. Release Management

• Semantic versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
• Tag releases in git: git tag v1.0.0
• Write release notes: what's new, breaking changes, migration guide
• Pre-1.0: breaking changes OK. Post-1.0: follow semver strictly.
• Automate: GitHub Actions for publish on tag push

6. Maintenance

• Triage issues weekly — label, assign, close stale
• Dependabot or Renovate for dependency updates
• Security: enable GitHub security advisories
• Burnout prevention: set expectations in README ("maintained in spare time", response time)