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Open source developers have standardized a naming convention on files in repositories that store important information, such as project documentation or licensing requirements.
The most important file for many repositories its its README, or “read me” file. It’s the standard file for basic repository documentation. Developers know to read it to learn how to use or contribute to the project.
Developers often put the project’s name in the first line of the README, followed by a blank line, then the project’s description.
GitHub will show the contents of a repository’s README file on the repository’s homepage. If it’s a README.md file, it will be rendered as Markdown.
Let’s have you create your own README.md file for your repository.
Instructions
- Checkpoint: Let’s start creating a README file to your repository so other people know what it is. Click the creating a New File link on your repository - or visit its URL plus
/new/main. - Name the file “README.md” in the input with placeholder “Name your file…” text.
- In the first line of the file, put the name of the repository as a Markdown heading.
- After a blank line, put any description of the repository on the third line of the file.
- At the bottom of the page, click the Commit new file button to create the file.
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