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Developer Quick Start Guide

Welcome to the MakerDAO Quick Start Guide for Developers. Our goal in this guide is to point hackathon participants in the right direction for any of their needs.

Developer Resources

MakerDAO is a complex system, with many parts. A curated list of developer resources relating to MakerDAO can be found in our Awesome-MakerDAO repository to help you with your project.

What Should I Bring

Non-obvious essentials:

  • Notebook/scratch paper + pen/pencil
  • The will to live
  • Toothbrush & paste
  • Deodorant
  • Sleeping bag/blanket, pillow
  • Sweater or jacket
  • Umbrella or raincoat
  • Extra clothes depending on the length of the event
  • Tylenol/Advil

Best Practices

  • Take advantage of an opportunity to have a mentor. Mentors are a great resource to have when building something you may be new to.
  • Setting up a team ahead of time will give you an advantage. Aim to have a well-rounded team, find people whose skills play well into the idea.
  • Hackathons are a meeting place for many different types of developers, don't be afraid to make some new friends who may be able to teach you something new.
  • Don't rely on the WiFi, download the latest software you need ahead of time.
  • Self-care is important. Be sure to get good rest and allow yourself to take breaks. Spreading yourself thin is not healthy.
  • Balance work and play. Although breaks are important, make sure to be on top of your project. It's easy to lose hours of your time hanging out with interesting people.
  • Think of your project as having core-features and nice-to-have features. Define the core features up-front, and add the nice-to-haves only after the main features are built.
  • Make sure to submit your hack to your hackathon’s online submission system before the deadline. Most hackathons use a system like DevPost to keep the submission process running smoothly and so hackers can build a portfolio for themselves.

Post-Hackathon Best Practices

  • Update your DevPost to reflect the current status of the project.
  • Tweet about your project. There may be other developers interested in helping you continuing to build out your hack.
  • Stay in touch with your teammates.

Grants

The Maker Grants Program uses Hackathons as a way to find good candidates for development grants. Winners are often fast tracked into our grants program.

We review all hacks and may reach out to interesting projects that were not necessarily winners. Make sure you get on our radar by filling out this form.