[Project Name]

A clean, minimal project template suitable for any programming language with interview-focused documentation and professional DevOps setup.

🚀 Quick Start

1. Use Template: Click 'Use this template' button above to create your repository
2. Clone: git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/YOUR_REPO.git && cd YOUR_REPO
3. Setup: make setup (Configures environment and installs dependencies)
4. Run: make run
5. Test: make test

📋 Post-Template Checklist

After creating your repository from this template, complete these steps:

• Replace [Project Name] with your actual project name in this README
• Update YOUR_USERNAME and YOUR_REPO placeholders throughout this file
• Modify the LICENSE file if not using MIT license
• Add language-specific files (requirements.txt, package.json, go.mod, pom.xml, etc.)
• Update Makefile targets with your actual build/test commands
• Configure Dockerfile for your specific runtime and dependencies
• Define your core application logic in src/
• Write tests in tests/ directory
• Update INTERVIEW_NOTES.md with your architectural decisions
• Configure CI/CD workflow for your specific linting and testing tools
• Add actual code coverage and linting badges once CI is running

Why This Template?

This template is designed with professional software engineering and interview preparation in mind:

Architectural Choices

• Docker Support: Ensures "works on my machine" is never an excuse. Containerization demonstrates understanding of deployment consistency and modern DevOps practices
• Makefile Automation: Provides a language-agnostic interface for common operations (build, test, run). Shows you understand build automation and developer experience
• Structured Folders: Clear separation between source (src/) and tests (tests/) follows industry-standard practices
• CI/CD Pipeline: GitHub Actions workflow demonstrates familiarity with automated testing and continuous integration
• Interview Documentation: INTERVIEW_NOTES.md helps you articulate technical decisions during interviews

Professional Polish

• GitHub Actions Badges: Immediately shows build status and project health
• Clear Documentation: Professional READMEs signal that you can hand off projects effectively
• Copilot Integration: .github/copilot-instructions.md shows you leverage AI tools strategically, not blindly

📖 Usage Flow

1. Click "Use this template" → Creates your repository
2. Clone locally → Get the code on your machine
3. Run `make setup` → Install dependencies and configure environment
4. Develop in src/ → Write your application logic
5. Write tests/ → Add test coverage
6. Run `make test` → Validate your changes
7. Git commit & push → Triggers CI/CD pipeline
8. Review Actions → See automated tests pass

Project Structure

.
├── .github/
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md    # GitHub Copilot coding guidelines
│   └── workflows/
│       └── ci.yml                 # CI/CD pipeline configuration
├── docs/
│   └── DESIGN_DECISIONS.md        # Architecture Decision Records (ADRs)
├── src/                           # Main source code
├── tests/                         # Test files
├── README.md                      # This file
├── INTERVIEW_NOTES.md            # Technical decisions and interview prep
├── Makefile                       # Build automation
├── Dockerfile                     # Container configuration
├── LICENSE                        # MIT License
└── .gitignore                     # Git ignore patterns

Usage

The project includes a standardized Makefile with common targets:

make help     # Show all available commands
make setup    # Install dependencies and configure environment
make run      # Run the application
make test     # Run tests
make lint     # Run code linter
make build    # Build the project
make clean    # Clean build artifacts

Customize these targets in the Makefile based on your specific technology stack.

🛠️ Tech Stack

This is a language-agnostic template. Add badges for your specific stack:

Current Setup:

• Docker for containerization
• GitHub Actions for CI/CD
• Make for build automation
• Generic structure supporting any language

Notes

• This is a generic template. Add language-specific configuration as needed.
• The CI/CD workflow will automatically run tests if a Makefile is present.
• Review and update INTERVIEW_NOTES.md as you make architectural decisions.
• Document major architectural decisions in docs/DESIGN_DECISIONS.md using the ADR format.
• The Dockerfile uses a multi-stage build to keep production images small.
• Run make help to see all available commands.

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Built by Odeliya Charitonova · GitHub · LinkedIn

Computer Science student @ Tel Aviv University, School of CS & AI