Hacking with Maker
Developer Resources
Any project may seem complicated at first. This guide will help you get started with MakerDAO. The most up-to-date documentation and all the open-source tools within will help you hack together something genuinely valuable.
What Should I Bring?
In-Person Hackathons
Hackathons can last several days, and there are loads of people working on projects around the clock. These events can be a lot to make sense of if you've never been to one before.
We put together a list of non-obvious essentials to help you get ready.
- Notebook | Scratch Paper
- Pen | Pencil
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste
- Deodorant
- Sleeping Bag
- Blanket
- Pillow
- Sweater | Jacket
- Umbrella | Raincoat
- Extra Clothes (for longer events)
- Good Vibes
Virtual Hackathons
With the current global climate, virtual events have gained popularity. For a virtual hackathon, you don't need to bring anything, but familiarizing yourself with MakerDAO beforehand is a great way to get a headstart. That way, you can spend more time building!
We recommend joining our Community Chat and asking questions either in the #dev or #community-development channels to get ahead.
Start Hacking
The two sections below contain links to what you should be trying to Hack.
Protocol
Best Practices
- Take advantage of the opportunity to find mentors. A more experienced guide can help you find up-to-date resources and suggest the latest, most efficient ways of building.
- Set up a team ahead of time. Find a diverse group of people with various skills to round out your idea.
- Hackathons are a meeting place for many kinds of developers. Don't be afraid to take the opportunity to make new friends who may be able to teach you something new. Everyone is nervous, and most of us are introverts. It's okay!
- Download the latest software you need ahead of time. Don't rely on the WiFi.
- Self-care is important. Get proper rest, and make sure to take breaks when you need to.
- Balance work and play. Meet exciting people to meet and work on attractive, winning ideas. Everyone comes to have a good time!
- Think of your project as having both core-features and nice-to-have features. Define the core features up-front, and add the nice-to-haves only after building out the main features.
- Check and submit your hackathon's submission system at least an hour before the deadline. Most hackathons use a system like DevPost to keep the submission process running smoothly, but uploading can crash the last minute.
- Polish up for presentations. Use this hackathon and its platform to build a portfolio for yourself.
Post-Hackathon Best Practices
- Update your repository or project page to reflect the current status of your project.
- Tweet about your project. There may be other developers interested in helping you continue to build out your hack.
- Stay in touch with your teammates.
Grants
The Maker Grants Program uses Hackathons as a way to find suitable candidates for development grants. Winners are often fast-tracked.
We review all submissions, so sometimes, we may follow up on a unique project that wasn't necessarily a winner. Make contacting you easier for us by following the best practices above.