How to Get Your Open Source Project 1k Stars⭐
Photo by Sebastian Knoll @skenb on Unsplash
I’ve written this blog for over two years, yet I’ve still got some free time to write code.
If you want to make a real impact on the coding world you’ll be looking to get 1k + of stars on your project.
This isn’t something that happens overnight, so you will need a plan in order to get those juicy stars.
So follow my guide and you’ll also have a supremely successful GitHub repository of your work.
Why it’s important
Work is work. Some people complete open source work to show their talents working in a software dev team.
Others want to create their own repo. They want to show their work is impactful. In order to use this in a job hunt a candidate would need to show the receipts. Having more than 1,000 stars certainly is a powermove, and likely to get the attention of a good interviewer.
Build something valuable
Work on solving a real problem people have. This means that instead of looking for an audience for your work they will search for it!
You can be your own customer and create a solution for a problem you have and then later make your solution generic to solve a wider scope of issues.
Another approach is to ask other developers and friends about what issues they have and work to solve the problem.
I would say either solve a new problem (something nobody else has solved) or create the best solution for a problem. The world doesn’t need more also-ran software which simply duplicates the functionality of other (better) pieces of software.
Craft our README
Your README file is the first thing that people see when they visit your project. It needs to be both informative and visually appealing.
Your 1k stars README should contain
screenshots
clear instructions on how to install the project
clear instructions on how to use the project
clear contribution guidelines
a succinct description of the project
Remember to use #headings to separate out your content.
Engage the community
Having a contribution guide as part of your README is essential if you want people to contribute to your project. Remember that the more people contribute, the more they are likely to promote your work and the bigger splash you are likely to make!
Think about what coding style(s) are suitable and what will work for you as the project owner. How are you going to direct newbies to issues that need to be solved with the codebase?
Then put the answer to these questions in your README.
Promote your project
Share your project on relevant platforms. People are interested in what their friends are doing so make it clear that you’ve gone open source in your work and social group.
If you promote using social media remember to use images and video. It also helps if you actually tell people what your project does clearly and succinctly (make sure your description in the README does this too).
Play the long game
Getting 1k stars takes time and consistent effort.
Even when the project starts gaining momentum you will need to keep investing time and effort into it.
Answer questions quickly
Write articles about your project on Medium
Maintain your project by improving it, as well as encouraging contributors to do the same. Responding to feature requests encourages engagement and can set up a virtuous circle of work
Respect the people who are contributing to the project. Finding issues isn’t a personal attack, everyone is working to help you (pretty much)
Keep updating your project, addressing feedback, and providing value to the developer community.
Conclusion
Getting 1,000 stars for your GitHub project shows your value and impact on the developer community.
Solving real problems? Check
Clear and engaging documentation? Check
Fostering a supportive community? Check
So just one question remains. Why don’t you have a 1,000 star project?