Docs Starter Kit

Generate complete, professional documentation for any project.

Core Workflow

1. Determine project type: OSS public, internal, library, application
2. Select templates: Choose appropriate docs based on project type
3. Customize content: Fill in project-specific information
4. Add sections: Include relevant sections for the project
5. Review completeness: Ensure all essential docs are present
6. Format consistently: Apply consistent style and structure

Essential Documentation Files

README.md (Required)

Project overview and getting started guide

• Project description and purpose
• Features and capabilities
• Quick start guide
• Installation instructions
• Usage examples
• Configuration options
• Contributing link
• License information

CONTRIBUTING.md (Recommended)

Guide for contributors

• How to contribute
• Development setup
• Code style guidelines
• Testing requirements
• Pull request process
• Code of conduct link

LICENSE (Required for OSS)

Project license

• MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL, BSD, etc.
• Copyright holder and year

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md (OSS Best Practice)

Community guidelines

• Expected behavior
• Unacceptable behavior
• Enforcement procedures
• Contact information

SECURITY.md (Recommended)

Security policy and reporting

• Supported versions
• Reporting vulnerabilities
• Response timeline
• Security update process

CHANGELOG.md (Recommended)

Version history

• Notable changes per version
• Breaking changes highlighted
• Release dates
• Following Keep a Changelog format

README.md Template

# Project Name

Brief description of what this project does and who it's for.

## Features

- ✨ Feature 1
- 🚀 Feature 2
- 🎯 Feature 3

## Quick Start

```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/username/project-name.git

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run development server
npm run dev
```

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20+
• npm or pnpm
• PostgreSQL 15+ (if applicable)

Setup

1. Clone and install:

   git clone <repo>
   npm install
   

2. Configure environment:

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env with your values
   

3. Setup database (if applicable):

   npm run db:migrate
   npm run db:seed
   

4. Start development:

   npm run dev
   

Usage

Basic Example

import { something } from "project-name";

const result = something();

Advanced Usage

[More detailed examples]

Configuration

Available environment variables:

Variable	Description	Default
API_KEY	API authentication key	-
PORT	Server port	3000
DATABASE_URL	Database connection	-

Documentation

• API Reference
• Architecture
• Contributing Guide

Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run with coverage
npm run test:coverage

# Run specific test file
npm test path/to/test

Deployment

[Deployment instructions]

Built With

• Next.js - React framework
• Prisma - Database ORM
• Tailwind CSS - Styling

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Authors

• Your Name - Initial work - YourGitHub

Acknowledgments

• Hat tip to anyone whose code was used
• Inspiration
• References

## CONTRIBUTING.md Template

```markdown
# Contributing to [Project Name]

Thank you for your interest in contributing! This document provides guidelines for contributing to this project.

## Code of Conduct

This project adheres to a [Code of Conduct](CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md). By participating, you are expected to uphold this code.

## How Can I Contribute?

### Reporting Bugs

Before creating bug reports, please check existing issues to avoid duplicates. When creating a bug report, include:

- Clear and descriptive title
- Detailed description of the issue
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected vs actual behavior
- Environment details (OS, Node version, etc.)
- Screenshots if applicable

### Suggesting Enhancements

Enhancement suggestions are tracked as GitHub issues. When creating an enhancement suggestion, include:

- Clear and descriptive title
- Detailed description of the proposed feature
- Explanation of why this enhancement would be useful
- Possible implementation approach

### Pull Requests

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)
3. Make your changes
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Ensure all tests pass (`npm test`)
6. Commit using conventional commits (`git commit -m 'feat: add amazing feature'`)
7. Push to your fork (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)
8. Open a Pull Request

## Development Setup

See [README.md](README.md) for initial setup instructions.

### Development Workflow

```bash
# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

# Run linter
npm run lint

# Format code
npm run format

Code Style

• Follow existing code style
• Use TypeScript for all new code
• Run npm run lint and npm run format before committing
• Write meaningful commit messages following Conventional Commits

Commit Message Format

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore

Testing

• Write tests for all new features
• Maintain test coverage above 80%
• Run tests before submitting PR
• Include both unit and integration tests where appropriate

Documentation

• Update README.md if adding features
• Document new environment variables
• Add JSDoc comments for public APIs
• Update CHANGELOG.md for notable changes

Review Process

1. Automated checks must pass (tests, linting, build)
2. At least one maintainer approval required
3. Address all review comments
4. Maintainer will merge when approved

Questions?

Feel free to open an issue with your question or contact maintainer@email.com.

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the same license as the project.

## SECURITY.md Template

```markdown
# Security Policy

## Supported Versions

| Version | Supported          |
| ------- | ------------------ |
| 2.x.x   | :white_check_mark: |
| 1.x.x   | :x:                |

## Reporting a Vulnerability

We take security seriously. If you discover a security vulnerability, please follow these steps:

### Do Not

- Open a public GitHub issue
- Disclose the vulnerability publicly before we've addressed it

### Do

1. **Email us** at security@projectname.com
2. **Include details:**
   - Description of the vulnerability
   - Steps to reproduce
   - Potential impact
   - Suggested fix (if any)

### What to Expect

- **Acknowledgment:** Within 48 hours
- **Initial assessment:** Within 1 week
- **Regular updates:** Every 2 weeks
- **Resolution:** Depends on severity and complexity

### Disclosure Policy

- We will investigate and respond promptly
- We will work with you to understand the issue
- We will keep you informed of our progress
- We will credit you for the discovery (unless you prefer to remain anonymous)

### Security Update Process

1. Patch is developed and tested
2. Security advisory is prepared
3. New version is released
4. Advisory is published
5. Users are notified

## Best Practices

When using this project:

- Keep dependencies up to date
- Use environment variables for secrets
- Enable security features in production
- Follow principle of least privilege
- Regularly review access logs

## Known Security Considerations

[Document any known security considerations or limitations]

## Security-Related Configuration

[Document security-related configuration options]

CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md Template

# Code of Conduct

## Our Pledge

We pledge to make participation in our project a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, level of experience, nationality, personal appearance, race, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

## Our Standards

### Positive Behavior

- Using welcoming and inclusive language
- Being respectful of differing viewpoints and experiences
- Gracefully accepting constructive criticism
- Focusing on what is best for the community
- Showing empathy towards other community members

### Unacceptable Behavior

- Trolling, insulting/derogatory comments, and personal attacks
- Public or private harassment
- Publishing others' private information without permission
- Other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate

## Our Responsibilities

Project maintainers are responsible for clarifying standards of acceptable behavior and will take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to unacceptable behavior.

## Scope

This Code of Conduct applies within all project spaces and when representing the project or its community.

## Enforcement

Instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behavior may be reported to the project team at [conduct@projectname.com]. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated promptly and fairly.

## Attribution

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the [Contributor Covenant](https://www.contributor-covenant.org), version 2.0.

LICENSE Templates

MIT License

MIT License

Copyright (c) [year] [fullname]

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy...

Apache 2.0

Apache License
Version 2.0, January 2004
http://www.apache.org/licenses/

CHANGELOG.md Template

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added

- New feature X

### Changed

- Updated dependency Y

### Fixed

- Bug Z

## [1.0.0] - 2024-01-15

### Added

- Initial release
- Feature A
- Feature B

### Security

- Fixed vulnerability in dependency

[unreleased]: https://github.com/user/project/compare/v1.0.0...HEAD
[1.0.0]: https://github.com/user/project/releases/tag/v1.0.0

Additional Documentation

API.md

API reference documentation

ARCHITECTURE.md

System design and architecture

DEPLOYMENT.md

Deployment instructions

DEVELOPMENT.md

Development environment setup

FAQ.md

Frequently asked questions

TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Common issues and solutions

Documentation Best Practices

1. Keep it updated: Review docs with each release
2. Be concise: Clear and to the point
3. Use examples: Show, don't just tell
4. Link related docs: Cross-reference appropriately
5. Consider audience: Write for your users' level
6. Use consistent formatting: Follow style guides
7. Include visuals: Diagrams, screenshots, examples

Project Type Variations

Library/Package

Focus on: API reference, usage examples, installation

Application

Focus on: Setup, configuration, deployment

CLI Tool

Focus on: Commands, options, examples

Internal Tool

Focus on: Access, authentication, company-specific processes

Checklist

For complete project documentation:

• README.md with clear description and quick start
• CONTRIBUTING.md with development guidelines
• LICENSE file (if open source)
• CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md (if open source)
• SECURITY.md with vulnerability reporting
• CHANGELOG.md for version history
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ for bug reports and features
• .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
• docs/ folder for additional documentation
• API reference (if library)
• Architecture documentation (if complex)