# Publishing your mod

## Best practices

Make sure to name your mod in the form `<your name>.<mod name>`, similar to the existing default mods, like `Northstar.Client`, `Northstar.CusomServer`, ... \
Note that the Northstar name (`Northstar.xyz`) is reserved for mods delievered with the Northstar install and should therefore **NOT** be used.

It is recommended to upload the source code of your mod to a public repository like [Github](https://github.com/) to give your users a place to suggest changes and leave feedback in an organised manner.

## Thunderstore

The best place to publish your mod is [Thunderstore](https://northstar.thunderstore.io/). To do so, you need to package your mod as a zip with a specific folder structure. You can either set the structure up manually or use [this GitHub template](https://github.com/laundmo/northstar-mod-template)

## Thunderstore package structure

The Thunderstore package zip structure is as follows:

```
mods/<your name>.<mod name>/
icon.png
manifest.json
README.md
```

- `icon.png`: 256x256px icon for your mod.
- `README.md`: the description page for your mod
- `manifest.json` outlined [here](https://northstar.thunderstore.io/package/create/docs/)

You can put multiple mods in the `mods/` folder, but only do this if neccessary.

manifest.json checker: [https://northstar.thunderstore.io/tools/manifest-v1-validator/](https://northstar.thunderstore.io/tools/manifest-v1-validator/)

## Uploading

After you have set up the folder structure, head to [https://northstar.thunderstore.io](https://northstar.thunderstore.io) and log in with either Discord or Github. Then you can use the _Upload_ button at the top of the page to upload your zip.

When uploading, it will verify your package structure and you can publish after it's successfully checked.

To update a mod, change the version in mod.json and manifest.json, and upload again. If the mod name is the same, it will update the previous version.