Getting Support

The nself community and maintainers are here to help you succeed with your backend infrastructure. This guide outlines all the ways you can get support and contribute to the project.

Community Support

GitHub Discussions

GitHub Issues

Before You Ask for Help

Self-Help Resources

Before reaching out for support, try these resources that might have your answer:

nself doctor

Diagnostic Information

When you do need help, provide diagnostic information to get faster, more accurate assistance:

# Generate comprehensive debug report
nself debug-report > debug_info.txt

# Or collect manually:
nself version
nself status --verbose
nself logs --tail 100
nself config show --sanitized  # Removes sensitive data

How to Ask Effective Questions

Bug Reports

When reporting bugs, include:

• Clear Title: Concise description of the issue
• Steps to Reproduce: Exact steps that trigger the bug
• Expected vs Actual: What you expected vs what happened
• Environment: OS, Docker version, nself version
• Configuration: Relevant configuration (sanitized)
• Logs: Error messages and relevant log entries

## Description
Brief description of the bug

## Steps to Reproduce
1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3

## Expected Behavior
What should happen

## Actual Behavior  
What actually happened

## Environment
- OS: [e.g., Ubuntu 22.04]
- Docker Version: [e.g., 24.0.0]
- nself Version: [e.g., v0.2.0]

## Configuration
```
# Relevant config (remove passwords)
POSTGRES_PORT=5432
HASURA_PORT=8080
```

## Logs
```
# Error logs
[paste relevant error messages]
```

## Additional Context
Any other relevant information

Feature Requests

For feature requests, include:

• Problem Statement: What problem does this solve?
• Proposed Solution: How would you like it to work?
• Use Case: Real-world scenario where this helps
• Alternatives: Current workarounds or alternatives
• Priority: How important is this to your project?

Questions and Help Requests

For general questions:

• Context: What are you trying to accomplish?
• What You've Tried: Solutions you've attempted
• Specific Error: Exact error messages if any
• Configuration: Relevant configuration details
• Environment: Your setup details

Response Times and Expectations

Community Support

• Response Time: 1-3 days typically, community-dependent
• Best Effort: Volunteers helping when they can
• Self-Service: Try documentation and diagnostics first
• Patience: Allow time for thoughtful responses

Maintainer Support

• Critical Bugs: Security issues and data loss bugs prioritized
• Feature Requests: Evaluated based on community need and maintainer capacity
• Pull Requests: Reviewed within 1-2 weeks typically
• Documentation: Community contributions especially welcome

Professional Support

Consulting Services

Contributing Back

Ways to Help the Community

The best way to get great support is to contribute to making nself better for everyone:

Recognition

Contributors are recognized through:

• GitHub Contributors: Listed on the repository
• Release Notes: Major contributions highlighted
• Community Spotlight: Featured in project updates
• Maintainer Path: Active contributors may become maintainers

Code of Conduct

Community Standards

The nself community follows these principles:

• Respectful: Treat everyone with respect and kindness
• Inclusive: Welcome people of all backgrounds and skill levels
• Constructive: Focus on helping and improving
• Patient: Remember everyone is learning
• Collaborative: Work together toward common goals

Reporting Issues

If you experience harassment or inappropriate behavior, contact the maintainers at conduct@nself.org. All reports are handled confidentially.

Emergency Support

Critical Issues

Data Loss Prevention

If you're experiencing data loss:

1. Stop all operations: Don't make changes that might worsen the situation
2. Document the issue: Note exactly what happened and when
3. Check backups: Look for recent backups you can restore from
4. Seek immediate help: Post in GitHub Issues with "URGENT" tag

Support Channels Summary

Next Steps

Ready to get the help you need?

• FAQ - Check frequently asked questions first
• Troubleshooting - Solve common technical issues
• Contributing - Learn how to contribute back
• Join Discussions - Connect with the community

The nself community is here to help you succeed. Don't hesitate to ask questions, report issues, or share your projects. Together, we make nself better for everyone.