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🎨 Real-World Examples & Templates¢

See the Codebase Interface principles in action! From minimal services to complex applications, these examples show how to create welcoming, well-organized codebases that serve all audiences.

πŸ’‘ Copy & Adapt: These aren't just examples - they're production-ready templates you can copy and customize for your own projects.


πŸš€ Quick Start TemplatesΒΆ

Choose the template that matches your project type:

πŸ—οΈ Minimal ServiceΒΆ

Perfect for microservices, libraries, or small tools πŸ”— View Template

πŸ“š Documentation SiteΒΆ

For open source projects with extensive documentation πŸ”— View Template

⚑ Full-Stack Application¢

Complete applications with frontend, backend, and infrastructure πŸ”— View Template


πŸ—οΈ Minimal ServicesΒΆ

Perfect for: Microservices, CLI tools, libraries, small utilities

🎯 The Philosophy¢

Keep it simple but complete. Every file has a clear purpose, and new developers can understand the entire project in minutes.

✨ Perfect for teams that want:¢

  • Quick onboarding for small projects
  • Consistent structure across microservices
  • Minimal overhead with maximum clarity
  • Easy maintenance and updates
πŸ“ Complete Directory Structure
my-awesome-service/
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“š README.md                   # πŸ‘€ Consumers: What this service does & how to use it
β”œβ”€β”€ 🀝 CONTRIBUTING.md             # πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Contributors: How to help improve this service  
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ€– AGENTS.md                   # πŸ€– AI: Context for AI-assisted development
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸš€ RUNBOOK.md                  # πŸ› οΈ Operators: How to deploy & maintain this service
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ’¬ SUPPORT.md                  # πŸ†˜ All: How to get help when things go wrong
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“‹ Taskfile.yml                # βš™οΈ Build: Standardized commands for all tasks
β”œβ”€β”€ 🎯 .editorconfig               # πŸ“ All: Consistent coding style across editors
β”œβ”€β”€ 🚫 .gitignore                  # πŸ“‚ Git: What files to ignore in version control
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ .gitattributes              # πŸ“‚ Git: How to handle different file types
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md    # πŸ”„ Process: Template for consistent PRs
└── πŸ“¦ src/                        # πŸ’» Your actual service code goes here
    └── ...
🌟 README.md Template
# πŸš€ My Awesome Service

> A brief, compelling description of what this service does and why it matters.

[![Codebase Interface](https://img.shields.io/badge/Codebase_Interface-Principles-4b9ce2?style=flat-square)](https://codebaseinterface.org)
[![Build Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/build-passing-brightgreen?style=flat-square)](#)

## 🎯 What It Does

**Problem:** What specific problem does this solve?
**Solution:** How does your service solve it?
**Benefit:** Why is this better than alternatives?

## ⚑ Quick Start

```bash
# Install
task install

# Run
task start

# Test  
task test

πŸ“š DocumentationΒΆ

πŸ“„ LicenseΒΆ

[Your License Here] ```


πŸ“š Open Source Documentation ServicesΒΆ

Perfect for: Open source projects, documentation sites, community-driven initiatives

### 🌟 **The Community-First Approach** Built for maximum transparency and community engagement. Every audience has clear entry points and comprehensive resources. ### ✨ **Perfect for teams that want:** - Strong community engagement - Comprehensive documentation - Clear governance and contribution processes - Professional, welcoming presentation
πŸ“ Complete Directory Structure
awesome-documentation-project/
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“š README.md                   # πŸ‘€ Project overview and navigation hub
β”œβ”€β”€ 🀝 CONTRIBUTING.md             # πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Detailed contribution guidelines
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md          # 🌐 Community standards and behavior
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ”’ SECURITY.md                 # πŸ›‘οΈ Security policy and reporting
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ’¬ SUPPORT.md                  # πŸ†˜ Community support channels
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ LANGUAGE.md                 # πŸ“š Ubiquitous language definitions
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“‹ TODO.md                     # πŸ“ Public roadmap and task tracking
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ€– AGENTS.md                   # πŸ€– AI agent documentation
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸš€ RUNBOOK.md                  # πŸ› οΈ Operations and maintenance
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“„ LICENSE.md                  # βš–οΈ Legal license information
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ˆ CHANGELOG.md                # πŸ“Š Version history and changes
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ”„ PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md    # πŸ“ PR template for consistency
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“‹ Taskfile.yml                # βš™οΈ Build and task automation
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“Š cliff.toml                  # πŸ› οΈ Changelog generation config
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“š mkdocs.yml                  # πŸ“– Documentation site configuration
β”œβ”€β”€ 🌐 docs/                       # πŸ“š Comprehensive documentation
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ 🏠 README.md               # Documentation homepage
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ 🎯 principles.md           # Core principles and philosophy
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ‘₯ audiences.md            # Audience definitions
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ”— interfaces.md           # Interface specifications
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ† benefits.md             # Value proposition
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ 🎨 examples.md             # Real-world examples
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ› οΈ tooling.md              # Recommended tools
β”‚   └── 🀝 Contribute.md           # Contribution guide
β”œβ”€β”€ 🎯 .editorconfig               # πŸ“ Editor configuration
β”œβ”€β”€ 🚫 .gitignore                  # πŸ“‚ Git ignore patterns  
└── πŸ“ .gitattributes              # πŸ“‚ Git file handling rules
🎯 Advanced README.md Template
# 🌟 Awesome Documentation Project

> Transforming how teams create and maintain documentation that actually helps people.

[![Codebase Interface](https://img.shields.io/badge/Codebase_Interface-Principles-4b9ce2?style=flat-square)](https://codebaseinterface.org)
[![Conventional Commits](https://img.shields.io/badge/Conventional%20Commits-1.0.0-yellow.svg?style=flat-square)](https://conventionalcommits.org)
[![Contributors](https://img.shields.io/github/contributors/username/repo?style=flat-square)](#)
[![Stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/username/repo?style=social)](https://github.com/username/repo)

## 🎯 Mission

**Vision:** Every developer deserves documentation that delights rather than frustrates.
**Mission:** Provide tools and principles for creating world-class developer experiences.

## πŸš€ Quick Experience

```bash
# Get started in 30 seconds
task setup    # Install everything you need
task docs     # Launch live documentation
task example  # See it in action

πŸ“– Read the Docs β†’ | 🀝 Join Community β†’ | 🎨 See Examples β†’

🌍 Community¢

πŸ’¬ Discussions
Join conversations
πŸ› Issues
Report bugs & request features
πŸ”„ PRs
Contribute improvements

For Document Purpose
πŸ‘€ Consumers πŸ“š Docs Learn the principles and see examples
πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Contributors 🀝 Contributing Understand how to help
πŸ› οΈ Operators πŸš€ Runbook Deploy and maintain
πŸ€– AI Agents πŸ€– Agents Context for AI assistance

πŸ“Š Project StatusΒΆ

  • βœ… Core principles documented
  • βœ… Example implementations available
  • βœ… Community guidelines established
  • 🚧 Advanced tooling (in progress)
  • πŸ“… v2.0 roadmap (see TODO.md)

Built with ❀️ by the community

⭐ Star us β€’ 🐦 Follow updates β€’ πŸ’¬ Join discussions

```

⚑ Source-Aligned Services¢

Perfect for: Complex applications, enterprise services, full-stack systems

### πŸ—οΈ **The Enterprise Architecture** Designed for complex, business-critical applications with multiple teams and sophisticated requirements. ### ✨ **Perfect for teams that want:** - Clear separation of concerns - Scalable architecture patterns - Enterprise-grade documentation - Team autonomy with consistency
πŸ“ Complete Directory Structure
enterprise-application/
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“š Interface Layer (Codebase Interface)
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– README.md               # πŸ‘€ Application overview and value prop
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ 🀝 CONTRIBUTING.md         # πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» How to contribute across all domains
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸš€ RUNBOOK.md              # πŸ› οΈ Operations across all environments
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ€– AGENTS.md               # πŸ€– AI context for the entire application
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ’¬ SUPPORT.md              # πŸ†˜ Support escalation and contact info
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ LANGUAGE.md             # πŸ“š Business domain language
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“‹ TODO.md                 # πŸ“ Cross-cutting tasks and roadmap
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ˆ CHANGELOG.md            # πŸ“Š Application-level changes
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“„ LICENSE.md              # βš–οΈ Legal and licensing
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ”’ SECURITY.md             # πŸ›‘οΈ Security policies
β”‚   └── πŸ“‹ Taskfile.yml            # βš™οΈ Global build and deployment
β”‚
β”œβ”€β”€ 🎨 design/                     # πŸ“ Architecture & Design Decisions  
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– README.md               # Introduction to design philosophy
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“‹ contracts/              # API contracts, schemas, interfaces
β”‚   β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ api-v1.yaml            # OpenAPI specifications
β”‚   β”‚   └── events.yaml            # AsyncAPI event definitions
β”‚   └── πŸ›οΈ decisions/              # Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
β”‚       β”œβ”€β”€ 001-microservices.md   # Why we chose microservices
β”‚       └── 002-event-sourcing.md  # Event sourcing decision
β”‚
β”œβ”€β”€ 🧠 behaviour/                  # πŸ’Ό Business Logic & Domain Services
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– README.md               # Business domain introduction
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ›’ order-service/          # Order management domain
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ‘€ user-service/           # User management domain  
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ’° payment-service/        # Payment processing domain
β”‚   └── πŸ“§ notification-service/   # Communication domain
β”‚
β”œβ”€β”€ 🎭 experiences/                # 🎨 Consumer Interfaces & Client Apps
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– README.md               # UI/UX philosophy and standards
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ 🌐 web-app/                # React/Vue/Angular web application
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“± mobile-app/             # React Native/Flutter mobile app
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ€– ai-chat/                # Conversational AI interface
β”‚   └── πŸ”Œ api-gateway/            # External API interface
β”‚
β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“‘ publication/                # πŸ“€ Data Publishing & Integration
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– README.md               # Data architecture overview
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ 🌊 event-streams/          # Kafka/Event streaming
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“Š data-warehouse/         # Analytics data pipeline
β”‚   β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ”— integrations/           # Third-party integrations
β”‚   └── πŸ“ˆ metrics/                # Application metrics & monitoring
β”‚
└── πŸ“Š outcomes/                   # πŸ“ˆ Analytics, Reports & Intelligence
    β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“– README.md               # Business intelligence overview
    β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“Š dashboards/             # Business intelligence dashboards  
    β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ“ˆ reports/                # Automated reporting systems
    β”œβ”€β”€ πŸ€– ml-models/              # Machine learning models
    └── πŸ” insights/               # Data science and insights
🎯 Enterprise README.md Template
# 🏒 Enterprise Application Platform

> A comprehensive platform delivering exceptional customer experiences through modern architecture and practices.

[![Codebase Interface](https://img.shields.io/badge/Codebase_Interface-Principles-4b9ce2?style=for-the-badge)](https://codebaseinterface.org)
[![Build Status](https://img.shields.io/badge/build-passing-brightgreen?style=for-the-badge)](#)
[![Security Score](https://img.shields.io/badge/security-A+-success?style=for-the-badge)](#)

## 🎯 Platform Overview

**Mission:** Transform how customers interact with our services through innovative technology.

**Architecture:** Event-driven microservices with domain-driven design principles.

**Scale:** Serving 10M+ consumers across 50+ countries with 99.9% uptime.

## πŸš€ Quick Start by Role

<table>
<tr>
<td><strong>πŸ‘€ Business Consumers</strong><br>
<a href="#business-value">View Business Value</a><br>
<a href="experiences/README.md">Access Applications</a>
</td>
<td><strong>πŸ§‘β€πŸ’» Developers</strong><br>
<a href="CONTRIBUTING.md">Start Contributing</a><br>
<a href="design/README.md">Review Architecture</a>
</td>
<td><strong>πŸ› οΈ Operators</strong><br>
<a href="RUNBOOK.md">Operations Guide</a><br>
<a href="publication/metrics/">View Dashboards</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table>

## πŸ—οΈ Platform Architecture

```mermaid
graph TB
    subgraph "🎭 Experiences"
        WEB[🌐 Web App]
        MOBILE[πŸ“± Mobile App]
        API[πŸ”Œ API Gateway]
    end

    subgraph "🧠 Business Logic"
        ORDER[πŸ›’ Orders]
        USER[πŸ‘€ Users]
        PAYMENT[πŸ’° Payments]
    end

    subgraph "πŸ“‘ Data & Events"
        STREAM[🌊 Event Streams]
        DB[(πŸ“Š Database)]
        WAREHOUSE[(πŸ“ˆ Warehouse)]
    end

    WEB --> API
    MOBILE --> API
    API --> ORDER
    API --> CONSUMER
    API --> PAYMENT
    ORDER --> STREAM
    STREAM --> WAREHOUSE

πŸ“‹ Domain NavigationΒΆ

Domain Purpose Team Documentation
🧠 Behaviour Business logic & domain services Backend Teams Domain guides, APIs
🎭 Experiences Consumer interfaces & interactions Frontend Teams UI guides, components
πŸ“‘ Publication Data integration & events Platform Team Data flows, schemas
πŸ“Š Outcomes Analytics & intelligence Data Team Reports, insights
🎨 Design Architecture & decisions Architecture Team ADRs, contracts

πŸ’Ό Business ValueΒΆ

  • πŸš€ 50% faster feature delivery through domain separation
  • πŸ“ˆ 300% increase in developer productivity
  • πŸ›‘οΈ 99.9% uptime with robust monitoring and automation
  • 🌍 Global scale serving millions of consumers seamlessly

πŸ› οΈ Development WorkflowΒΆ

# Setup entire platform
task setup

# Start all services locally  
task dev

# Run comprehensive tests
task test

# Deploy to staging
task deploy:staging

# Deploy to production (with approvals)
task deploy:production

πŸ“ž Support & EscalationΒΆ


🎯 Built for Scale β€’ πŸš€ Optimized for Speed β€’ πŸ›‘οΈ Secured by Design

πŸ“Š View Metrics β€’ πŸ“– Read Docs β€’ 🀝 Join Team

```

🎯 Implementation Checklist¢

Ready to transform your own codebase? Use this checklist:

βœ… Phase 1: Foundation (30 minutes)ΒΆ

  • [ ] Create compelling README.md with clear value proposition
  • [ ] Add basic Taskfile.yml with setup/start/test commands
  • [ ] Include .editorconfig for consistent formatting
  • [ ] Set up .gitignore and .gitattributes

βœ… Phase 2: Audience Interfaces (1 hour)ΒΆ

  • [ ] Write CONTRIBUTING.md for developers
  • [ ] Create RUNBOOK.md for operators
  • [ ] Add AGENTS.md for AI context
  • [ ] Include SUPPORT.md for help channels

βœ… Phase 3: Polish (30 minutes)ΒΆ

  • [ ] Add Codebase Interface badge to README
  • [ ] Create pull request template
  • [ ] Set up changelog generation
  • [ ] Review and refine all documentation

βœ… Phase 4: Measurement (ongoing)ΒΆ

  • [ ] Track onboarding time improvements
  • [ ] Measure contributor engagement
  • [ ] Monitor support ticket reduction
  • [ ] Collect feedback and iterate

🎊 Ready to Transform Your Codebase?¢

Pick a template above and start creating amazing experiences for all your audiences!