Writing an Effective README
Your README is the front door to your project. It's the first thing people see when they visit your repository, and it determines whether they'll explore further or move on.
A good README answers three questions: What does this do? Why would I use it? How do I get started?
Essential Sections
Project Title and Description — One paragraph explaining what your project does and why it exists. Be specific. "A CLI tool that fetches stock prices and calculates portfolio value" is better than "A stock tool."
Features — Bullet points highlighting what your project can do. This helps people quickly assess if it meets their needs.
Installation — Step-by-step instructions to get your project running. Assume the reader has basic technical knowledge but hasn't seen your code before.
Usage — Show how to actually use your project. Include command examples, code snippets, or screenshots. Real examples beat abstract descriptions.
Technology Stack — List the languages, frameworks, and tools you used. This helps developers understand the codebase and shows what you've learned.
README Template
# Stock Price Fetcher
A command-line tool that fetches real-time stock prices
and calculates portfolio value.
## Features
- Fetch current prices for any stock symbol
- Calculate total portfolio value
- Export data to CSV
## Installation
```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
## Usage
```bash
python main.py AAPL GOOGL --format csv
```
## Configuration
Set your API key in `.env`:
```
STOCK_API_KEY=your_key_here
```
## Technology
Python, Requests, Click
## License
MIT
AI-Assisted README Writing
AI can help you write and improve READMEs. Describe your project and ask for a draft:
Write a README for my stock price fetcher CLI tool.
It uses Python and the Alpha Vantage API.
Include: description, features, installation,
usage examples, and configuration.
Review what AI generates and adjust for accuracy. AI might guess at details it doesn't know about your specific implementation.
Keep It Updated
A README that doesn't match your code is worse than no README. When you add features or change how things work, update the documentation too.