Web Application README Template

Writing a Web Application README

Web application READMEs serve a different audience than library READMEs. They are primarily for developers who will clone the repository and run the application locally for development or deployment. The README needs to cover environment setup, configuration, and deployment.

Prerequisites Section

Web apps often have more prerequisites than libraries:

• Runtime: Node.js version requirement
• Database: PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, etc.
• Services: External APIs, authentication providers
• Tools: Docker, specific CLI tools

List each with the minimum required version:

- Node.js >= 18
- PostgreSQL 15+
- Redis 7+
- Docker & Docker Compose (optional, for containerized development)

Environment Variables

This is critical for web apps. Document every environment variable:

# Required
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb
SESSION_SECRET=your-secret-key

# Optional
PORT=3000
LOG_LEVEL=info
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

Provide a .env.example file in the repository and reference it in the README.

Development Setup

Walk through the complete setup process:

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/user/app.git
cd app
npm install

# Set up environment
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your values

# Set up database
npm run db:migrate
npm run db:seed

# Start development server
npm run dev

Screenshots

Web apps benefit greatly from screenshots. Include:

• The main dashboard or landing page
• Key features in action
• Mobile responsive views (if applicable)

Deployment

Document at least one deployment method (Vercel, Docker, traditional hosting) with step-by-step instructions.