Document your open-source project

Good documentation gets you contributors. Great documentation keeps them.

The problem

Open-source maintainers spend more time explaining the codebase to new contributors than writing code. The CONTRIBUTING.md says "read the code," but the code does not explain itself.

Contributors open the repo, feel overwhelmed by the file structure, and leave. The ones who stay ask the same questions in Issues and Discussions that you have answered a dozen times.

The solution

Add a CodeDashboard link to your README. New contributors explore the architecture diagrams, read the repo tour, and understand the data flow before they open a single file.

The dashboard shows how the project is organized, what technologies are used, and how the components connect. Contributors can find the right file to edit without asking in an Issue first.

How CodeDashboard helps

Repo tour

A guided walkthrough of the directory structure. Contributors know where to look before they start exploring.

Data flow diagrams

Trace how data moves through the project. Contributors understand the full picture, not just one module.

Public dashboard link

Free to share. Anyone can view the dashboard without an account.

Feature map

Every feature listed and categorized. Contributors see what exists before proposing new work.

Try CodeDashboard free for 7 days

Paste a GitHub URL and get a full visual dashboard in under 2 minutes. No credit card required for free accounts.