One of the biggest impediments to developer success is time. Key technical documentation is often absent, incomplete, or out of date during any given continuous delivery release cycle. Without technical documentation readily available, developers lose time coding, integrating, and delivering software. Or, they make missteps that take hours to find and correct later.
When we talk to developers, one of the things they tell us is that would make their lives easier and eliminate wasted effort is the ready availability of an extensive collection of technical documentation, comprehensive guides, and instructions for endpoints. It’s something we’ve put a considerable amount of resources into over the past 17 years to serve the developer community better. It’s why Linode gives free access to all of our technical documentation, whether a developer is deploying apps natively to Linode or migrating existing production workloads from another cloud provider. To back this up, we’ve open-sourced our docs, so you can use and contribute to them with confidence.
We’ve also introduced features to make searching for documentation more efficient. Things like adding lists of popular guide topics to make it easier for developers to find the precise technical information they’re looking for without having to wade through lists of documents that don’t answer their specific questions.
Additional drill-downs on a variety of related tasks makes things even more convenient, providing access to tips and shortcuts quickly. For example, developers can quickly see how to set up NodeBalancers without using the Linode Manager but by using the Linode API instead.
Making a developer’s life easier means working with the community to make our documentation library better over time. Our Write for Linode program is designed for freelance contributors and pays them to contribute to the library. We extend an open invitation to the community of users to assure contributions, which further extends the knowledge base for everyone in the community, with best practices from the technical minds that are using our services. This way, the library becomes a collaborative effort—one that addresses the specific issues that Linode customers face most often. Having a community-based library not only makes it more personalized but also keeps it relevant and current.
If a developer still can’t find the answer they’re looking for, don’t worry: We won’t leave you hanging. We’ve built a robust FAQ section for specific data points about the Linode Platform. Examples include instructions on how to deploy an image to a Linode and how to proxy traffic from Burp Suite. We cover specifics regarding Linux use in a separate section for developers who may want a refresher. Examples of topics include choosing a Linux distribution, alias frequently used commands in Linux, and how to install SELinux on Ubuntu. For developers new to Linux, Linode provides a section on Linux Essentials.
Documentation is critical when embracing a multi-cloud strategy or moving workloads between providers. Linode provides a comprehensive approach to its guides, tips, and shortcuts. Our goal is to reduce complexity and save time for developers moving workloads to our platform. Check it out if you haven’t yet, and accept the invitation to contribute if you’re already a part of the Linode cloud developer community.
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