04 August 2025

The Zen of Github

These are the 14 aphorisms that guide the work at Github when designing its developer platform.

Source: Primer - The Zen of Github


1. Responsive is better than fast

2. It’s not fully shipped until it’s fast

3. Anything added dilutes everything else

4. Practicality beats purity

5. Approachable is better than simple

6. Mind your words, they are important

7. Speak like a human

8. Half measures are as bad as nothing at all

9. Encourage flow

10. Non-blocking is better than blocking

11. Favor focus over features

12. Avoid administrative distraction

13. Design for failure

14. Keep it logically awesome

Tags

  • development
  • design