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Girish Kotte
Documentation Mastery Kit

DocKit

Complete guide to Markdown documentation files. Learn what each file does, why it's important, and get ready-to-use templates for any project.

16 Doc Templates

Essential Docs

7

Must-have documentation for every project

Recommended

8

Professional documentation for teams

Categories

7

Organized by purpose and use case

README

README.mdessential

Front door of your project. First thing visitors see. Explains what, why, and how.

Best Practices:

  • Keep it concise but comprehensive
  • Use badges for quick status indicators
  • Include screenshots or GIFs for visual projects
  • Always include installation and usage instructions
  • Link to other important docs

LICENSE

LICENSE.mdessential

Legal terms for using your code. Protects you and clarifies usage rights.

Best Practices:

  • Choose the right license for your needs (MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL, etc.)
  • Use choosealicense.com to help decide
  • Include the year and your name/organization
  • Don't modify standard license text

CONTRIBUTING

CONTRIBUTING.mdessential

Guidelines for contributors. Sets expectations and processes for collaboration.

Best Practices:

  • Be welcoming and inclusive
  • Set clear expectations
  • Provide detailed setup instructions
  • Include coding standards and commit conventions
  • Make it easy for newcomers to contribute

CHANGELOG

CHANGELOG.mdessential

Track all notable changes to the project. Helps users understand what's new.

Best Practices:

  • Follow Keep a Changelog format
  • Group changes by type (Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security)
  • Include release dates
  • Link to version comparisons on GitHub
  • Keep most recent version at the top

CODE_OF_CONDUCT

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.mdessential

Community standards and behavior expectations. Creates a welcoming environment.

Best Practices:

  • Use Contributor Covenant as a standard
  • Include clear contact information
  • Be specific about enforcement
  • Make it visible and accessible
  • Translate for international communities

SECURITY

SECURITY.mdessential

Security policy and vulnerability reporting process. Protects users and maintainers.

Best Practices:

  • Provide clear reporting instructions
  • Never ask reporters to use public channels
  • Include response timeline commitments
  • List supported versions clearly
  • Acknowledge security researchers

DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPMENT.mdrecommended

Detailed development setup and guidelines. Onboards developers quickly.

Best Practices:

  • Include architecture diagrams
  • Provide multiple setup options
  • Document all environment variables
  • Include debugging configurations
  • Add troubleshooting section

ARCHITECTURE

ARCHITECTURE.mdrecommended

System design and technical decisions. Documents the 'why' behind architectural choices.

Best Practices:

  • Use diagrams to visualize architecture
  • Document design decisions and trade-offs
  • Include technology choices rationale
  • Keep it updated as architecture evolves
  • Link to ADRs (Architecture Decision Records)

DEPLOYMENT

DEPLOYMENT.mdrecommended

Deployment procedures and configurations. Ensures consistent, reliable deployments.

Best Practices:

  • Include rollback procedures
  • Document all environments
  • Provide deployment scripts
  • Include monitoring and health checks
  • Document incident response procedures

API

API.mdrecommended

API reference documentation. Essential for API consumers and integrators.

Best Practices:

  • Include authentication details
  • Provide request/response examples
  • Document all error codes
  • Include rate limiting information
  • Provide SDK examples in multiple languages

TESTING

TESTING.mdrecommended

Testing strategies and guidelines. Ensures code quality and reliability.

Best Practices:

  • Include different types of tests
  • Provide real-world examples
  • Document coverage requirements
  • Include debugging configurations
  • Explain mocking strategies

.env.example

.env.exampleessential

Template for environment variables. Shows required configuration without exposing secrets.

Best Practices:

  • Never commit actual values
  • Include all required variables
  • Add helpful comments
  • Group related variables
  • Provide example formats

ROADMAP

ROADMAP.mdnice-to-have

Future plans and vision. Helps community understand project direction.

Best Practices:

  • Be realistic about timelines
  • Include completed milestones
  • Allow community input
  • Update regularly
  • Link to discussion channels

.cursorrules

.cursorrulesrecommended

Configure Cursor AI IDE behavior. Defines coding standards, project context, and AI assistant guidelines.

Best Practices:

  • Be specific about your tech stack
  • Include coding standards and conventions
  • Define clear do's and don'ts
  • Provide code examples and patterns
  • Update as your project evolves

CLAUDE

CLAUDE.mdrecommended

Configure Claude AI assistant for your project. Provides context, guidelines, and specific instructions.

Best Practices:

  • Provide comprehensive project context
  • Include specific code examples
  • Define clear guidelines and patterns
  • Keep it updated with project changes
  • Include both do's and don'ts

WINDSURF

WINDSURF.mdrecommended

Configure Windsurf AI editor. Define project rules, patterns, and AI behavior for optimal assistance.

Best Practices:

  • Configure AI behavior settings
  • Define clear code patterns
  • Include debugging configurations
  • Set up custom commands and snippets
  • Specify environment requirements

Quick Setup Guide

🚀 Minimal Setup (OSS Projects)

  1. 1.Create README.md with project overview
  2. 2.Add LICENSE.md (MIT, Apache, GPL)
  3. 3.Include CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines
  4. 4.Add CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
  5. 5.Create CHANGELOG.md for releases

💼 Professional Setup (Teams)

  1. +DEVELOPMENT.md for onboarding
  2. +ARCHITECTURE.md for system design
  3. +DEPLOYMENT.md for DevOps
  4. +API.md for endpoints
  5. +TESTING.md for QA processes

Pro Tip: Start with essential docs and add others as your project grows. Quality over quantity - a well-maintained README is better than 20 outdated docs.

Additional Resources

Choose a License

Simple guide to choosing the right open source license for your project

Keep a Changelog

Standard format for maintaining a changelog that's useful for users

Contributor Covenant

A code of conduct for open source communities and other digital commons