path: root/contribution-guidelines.md

# Docs Development Guidelines

Welcome to our docs developer guidelines!

We store documentation related to Netdata inside of the [`netdata/netdata` repository](https://github.com/netdata/netdata) on GitHub.

The Netdata team aggregates and publishes all documentation at [learn.netdata.cloud](/) using
[Docusaurus](https://v2.docusaurus.io/) over at the [`netdata/learn` repository](https://github.com/netdata/learn).

## Before you get started

Anyone interested in contributing to documentation should first read the [Netdata style guide](#styling-guide) further down below and the [Netdata Community Code of Conduct](/contribute/code-of-conduct).

Netdata's documentation uses Markdown syntax. If you're not familiar with Markdown, read the [Mastering Markdown](https://guides.github.com/features/mastering-markdown/) guide from GitHub for the basics on creating paragraphs, styled text, lists, tables, and more, and read further down about some special occasions [while writing in MDX](#mdx-and-markdown).

### Netdata's Documentation structure

Netdata's documentation is separated into 5 categories.

- **Getting Started**: This section’s purpose is to present “What is Netdata” and for whom is it for while also presenting all the ways Netdata can be deployed. That includes Netdata’s platform support, Standalone deployment, Parent-child deployments, deploying on Kubernetes and also deploying on IoT nodes.
  - Stored in **WIP**
  - Published in **WIP**
- **Concepts**: This section’s purpose is to take a pitch on all the aspects of Netdata. We present the functionality of each component/idea and support it with examples but we don’t go deep into technical details.
  - Stored in the `/docs/concepts` directory in the `netdata/netdata` repository.
  - Published in **WIP**
- **Tasks**: This section's purpose is to break down any operation into a series of fundamental tasks for the Netdata solution.
  - Stored in the `/docs/tasks` directory in the `netdata/netdata` repository.
  - Published in **WIP**
- **References**: This section’s purpose is to explain thoroughly every part of Netdata. That covers settings, configurations and so on.
  - Stored near the component they refer to.
  - Published in **WIP**
- **Collectors References**: This section’s purpose is to explain thoroughly every collector that Netdata supports and it's configuration options.
  - Stored in stored near the collector they refer to.
  - Published in **WIP**

## How to contribute

The easiest way to contribute to Netdata's documentation is to edit a file directly on GitHub. This is perfect for small fixes to a single document, such as fixing a typo or clarifying a confusing sentence.

Click on the **Edit this page** button on any published document on [Netdata Learn](https://learn.netdata.cloud). Each
page has two of these buttons: One beneath the table of contents, and another at the end of the document, which take you
to GitHub's code editor. Make your suggested changes, keeping the [Netdata style guide](#styling-guide)
in mind, and use the ***Preview changes*** button to ensure your Markdown syntax works as expected.

Under the **Commit changes**  header, write descriptive title for your requested change. Click the **Commit changes**
button to initiate your pull request (PR).

Jump down to our instructions on [PRs](#making-a-pull-request) for your next steps.

### Edit locally

Editing documentation locally is the preferred method for complex changes that span multiple documents or change the documentation's style or structure.

Create a fork of the Netdata Agent repository by visit the [Netdata repository](https://github.com/netdata/netdata) and clicking on the **Fork** button.

GitHub will ask you where you want to clone the repository. When finished, you end up at the index of your forked Netdata Agent repository. Clone your fork to your local machine:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-GITHUB-USERNAME/netdata.git
```

Create a new branch using `git checkout -b BRANCH-NAME`. Use your favorite text editor to make your changes, keeping the [Netdata style guide](/contribute/style-guide) in mind. Add, commit, and push changes to your fork. When you're finished, visit the [Netdata Agent Pull requests](https://github.com/netdata/netdata/pulls) to create a new pull request based on the changes you made in the new branch of your fork.

### Making a pull request

Pull requests (PRs) should be concise and informative. See our [PR guidelines](/contribute/handbook#pr-guidelines) for specifics.

- The title must follow the [imperative mood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperative_mood) and be no more than ~50 characters.
- The description should explain what was changed and why. Verify that you tested any code or processes that you are trying to change.

The Netdata team will review your PR and assesses it for correctness, conciseness, and overall quality. We may point to specific sections and ask for additional information or other fixes.

After merging your PR, the Netdata team rebuilds the [documentation site](https://learn.netdata.cloud) to publish the changed documentation.

## Writing Docs

We have three main types of Docs: **References**, **Concepts** and **Tasks**.

### Metadata Tags


All of the Docs however have what we call "metadata" tags. these help to organize the document upon publishing.

So let's go through the different necessary metadata tags to get a document properly published on Learn:

- Docusaurus Specific:\
These metadata tags are parsed automatically by Docusaurus and are rendered in the published document. **Note**: Netdata only uses the Docusaurus metadata tags releveant for our documentation infrastructure.
  - `title: "The title of the document"` : Here we specify the title of our document, which is going to be converted to the heading of the published page.
  - `description: "The description of the file"`: Here we give a description of what this file is about.
  - `custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/collectors/COLLECTORS.md`: Here is an example of the link that the user will be redirected to if he clicks the "Edit this page button", as you see it leads directly to the edit page of the source file.
- Netdata Learn specific:
  - `learn_status: "..."`
    - The options for this tag are:
      - `"published"`
      - `"unpublished"`
  - `learn_topic_type: "..."`
    - The options for this tag are:
      - `"Getting Started"`
      - `"Concepts"`
      - `"Tasks"`
      - `"References"`
      - `"Collectors References"`
    - This is the Topic that the file belongs to, and this is going to resemble the start directory of the file's path on Learn for example if we write `"Concepts"` in the field, then the file is going to be placed under `/Concepts/....` inside Learn.
  - `learn_rel_path: "/example/"`
    - This tag represents the rest of the path, without the filename in the end, so in this case if the file is a Concept, it would go under `Concepts/example/filename.md`. If you want to place the file under the "root" topic folder, input `"/"`.
  - ⚠️ In case any of these "Learn" tags are missing or falsely inputted the file will remain unpublished. This is by design to prevent non-properly tagged files from getting published.

While Docusaurus can make use of more metadata tags than the above, these are the minimum we require to publish the file on Learn.

### Doc Templates

These are the templates we use for our Documentation files:

<details>
<summary>Reference Docs</summary>

The template that is used for Reference files is:

```
  <!--
  title: "Apache monitoring with Netdata"
  description: "Monitor the health and performance of Apache web servers with zero configuration, per-second metric granularity, and interactive visualizations."
  custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/go.d.plugin/edit/master/modules/apache/README.md
  learn_topic_type: "Collector References"
  learn_rel_path: "/sample_category"
  learn_status: "published"
  -->
```

## Configuration files

### Data collection

```
go.d/apache.conf
```

To make changes, see `the ./edit-config task <link>`

### Alerts

none

## Requirements to run this module

- none

## Requirement on the monitored application

- `Apache` with enabled [`mod_status`](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/mod/mod_status.html)

## Auto detection

### Single node installation

. . . we autodetect localhost:port and what configurations are defaults

### Kubernetes installations

. . . Service discovery, click here

## Metrics

Columns: Context | description (of the context) | units (of the context) | dimensions | alerts

- Requests in `requests/s`
- Connections in `connections`
- Async Connections in `connections`
- Scoreboard in `connections`
- Bandwidth in `kilobits/s`
- Workers in `workers`
- Lifetime Average Number Of Requests Per Second in `requests/s`
- Lifetime Average Number Of Bytes Served Per Second in `KiB/s`
- Lifetime Average Response Size in `KiB`

### Labels

just like <https://github.com/netdata/go.d.plugin/tree/master/modules/k8s_state#labels>

## Alerts

collapsible content for every alert, just like the alert guides

## Configuration options

Table with all the configuration options available.

Columns: name | description | default

## Configuration example

Needs only `url` to server's `server-status?auto`. Here is an example for 2 servers:

```yaml
jobs:
- name: local
    url: http://127.0.0.1/server-status?auto
- name: remote
    url: http://203.0.113.10/server-status?auto
```

For all available options please see
module [configuration file](https://github.com/netdata/go.d.plugin/blob/master/config/go.d/apache.conf).

## Troubleshoot

backlink to the task to run this module in debug mode

</details>

<details>
<summary>Task Docs</summary>

The template that is used for Task files is:

```
  <!--
  title: "Task title"
  description: "Task description"
  custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/Tasks/sampletask.md
  learn_topic_type: "Tasks"
  learn_rel_path: "/sample_category"
  learn_status: "published"
  -->
```

## Description

A small description of the Task.

## Prerequisites

Describe all the information that the user needs to know before proceeding with the task.

## Context

Describe the background information of the Task, the purpose of the Task, and what will the user achieve by completing it.

## Steps

A task consists of steps, here provide the actions needed from the user, so he can complete the task correctly.

## Result

Describe the expected output/ outcome of the result.

## Example

Provide any examples needed for the Task

</details>

<details>
<summary>Concept Docs</summary>

The template of the Concept files is:

```
  <!--
  title: "Concept title"
  description: "Concept description"
  custom_edit_url: https://github.com/netdata/netdata/edit/master/docs/Concepts/sampleconcept.md
  learn_topic_type: "Concepts"
  learn_rel_path: "/sample_category"
  learn_status: "published"
  -->
```

## Description

In our concepts we have a more loose structure, the goal is to communicate the "concept" to the user, starting with simple language that even a new user can understand, and building from there.

</details>

## Styling Guide

The *Netdata style guide* establishes editorial guidelines for any writing produced by the Netdata team or the Netdata
community, including documentation, articles, in-product UX copy, and more. Both internal Netdata teams and external
contributors to any of Netdata's open-source projects should reference and adhere to this style guide as much as
possible.

Netdata's writing should **empower** and **educate**. You want to help people understand Netdata's value, encourage them
to learn more, and ultimately use Netdata's products to democratize monitoring in their organizations. To achieve these
goals, your writing should be:

- **Clear**. Use simple words and sentences. Use strong, direct, and active language that encourages readers to action.
- **Concise**. Provide solutions and answers as quickly as possible. Give users the information they need right now,
  along with opportunities to learn more.
- **Universal**. Think of yourself as a guide giving a tour of Netdata's products, features, and capabilities to a
  diverse group of users. Write to reach the widest possible audience.

You can achieve these goals by reading and adhering to the principles outlined below.

## Voice and tone

One way we write empowering, educational content is by using a consistent voice and an appropriate tone.

*Voice* is like your personality, which doesn't really change day to day.

*Tone* is how you express your personality. Your expression changes based on your attitude or mood, or based on who
you're around. In writing, your reflect tone in your word choice, punctuation, sentence structure, or even the use of
emoji.

The same idea about voice and tone applies to organizations, too. Our voice shouldn't change much between two pieces of
content, no matter who wrote each, but the tone might be quite different based on who we think is reading.

For example, a [blog post](https://www.netdata.cloud/blog/) and a [press release](https://www.netdata.cloud/news/)
should have a similar voice, despite most often being written by different people. However, blog posts are relaxed and
witty, while press releases are focused and academic. You won't see any emoji in a press release.

### Voice

Netdata's voice is authentic, passionate, playful, and respectful.

- **Authentic** writing is honest and fact-driven. Focus on Netdata's strength while accurately communicating what
  Netdata can and cannot do, and emphasize technical accuracy over hard sells and marketing jargon.
- **Passionate** writing is strong and direct. Be a champion for the product or feature you're writing about, and let
  your unique personality and writing style shine.
- **Playful** writing is friendly, thoughtful, and engaging. Don't take yourself too seriously, as long as it's not at
  the expense of Netdata or any of its users.
- **Respectful** writing treats people the way you want to be treated. Prioritize giving solutions and answers as
  quickly as possible.

### Tone

Netdata's tone is fun and playful, but clarity and conciseness comes first. We also tend to be informal, and aren't
afraid of a playful joke or two.

While we have general standards for voice and tone, we do want every individual's unique writing style to reflect in
published content.

## Universal communication

Netdata is a global company in every sense, with employees, contributors, and users from around the world. We strive to
communicate in a way that is clear and easily understood by everyone.

Here are some guidelines, pointers, and questions to be aware of as you write to ensure your writing is universal. Some
of these are expanded into individual sections in the [language, grammar, and mechanics](#language-grammar-and-mechanics) section below.

- Would this language make sense to someone who doesn't work here?
- Could someone quickly scan this document and understand the material?
- Create an information hierarchy with key information presented first and clearly called out to improve scannability.
- Avoid directional language like "sidebar on the right of the page" or "header at the top of the page" since
  presentation elements may adapt for devices.
- Use descriptive links rather than "click here" or "learn more".
- Include alt text for images and image links.
- Ensure any information contained within a graphic element is also available as plain text.
- Avoid idioms that may not be familiar to the user or that may not make sense when translated.
- Avoid local, cultural, or historical references that may be unfamiliar to users.
- Prioritize active, direct language.
- Avoid referring to someone's age unless it is directly relevant; likewise, avoid referring to people with age-related
  descriptors like "young" or "elderly."
- Avoid disability-related idioms like "lame" or "falling on deaf ears." Don't refer to a person's disability unless
  it’s directly relevant to what you're writing.
- Don't call groups of people "guys." Don't call women "girls."
- Avoid gendered terms in favor of neutral alternatives, like "server" instead of "waitress" and "businessperson"
  instead of "businessman."
- When writing about a person, use their communicated pronouns. When in doubt, just ask or use their name. It's OK to
  use "they" as a singular pronoun.

> Some of these guidelines were adapted from MailChimp under the Creative Commons license.

## Language, grammar, and mechanics

To ensure Netdata's writing is clear, concise, and universal, we have established standards for language, grammar, and
certain writing mechanics. However, if you're writing about Netdata for an external publication, such as a guest blog
post, follow that publication's style guide or standards, while keeping the [preferred spelling of Netdata
terms](#netdata-specific-terms) in mind.

### Active voice

Active voice is more concise and easier to understand compared to passive voice. When using active voice, the subject of
the sentence is action. In passive voice, the subject is acted upon. A famous example of passive voice is the phrase
"mistakes were made."

|                 |                                                                                           |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Not recommended | When an alarm is triggered by a metric, a notification is sent by Netdata.                |
| **Recommended** | When a metric triggers an alarm, Netdata sends a notification to your preferred endpoint. |

### Second person

Use the second person ("you") to give instructions or "talk" directly to users.

In these situations, avoid "we," "I," "let's," and