Reddit rules index · read 2026-09-26
Can you promote on r/opensource?
Self-promotion restricted Its rules restrict self-promotion. Posts that promote your own work are likely to be removed.
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- its rules on Reddit
A subreddit for everything open source related (for this context, we go off the definition of open source here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source)
What its rules say about promotion
No Spam or Excessive Self-Promotion
Reddit has clear rules about [self promotion](https://reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion). We encourage you to be proud of/promote your work to a degree, but we also don't want users using this sub as a link farm to promote their project/website/YouTube channel. Reddit recommends that <10% of your posts promote your content. We're a *little* more forgiving, but don't take advantage of it. *"It's perfectly fine to be a redditor with a website, it's not okay to be a website with a reddit account."*
Use Correct Flairs
[Flairs](https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/xrw5s9/new_postflairs/) should reflect the nature of the post. `Promotional` is when you are sharing a project, yours or otherwise. `Alternatives` is when you are soliciting for suggestions of OSS that fulfills a need. `Discussion` is for asking general questions when `Promotional` or `Alternatives` does not apply. `Community` is for something that will or has happened when `Promotional` does not apply.
All 8 rules of r/opensource
- Be Respectful
This shouldn't need to be a rule, but this is the internet. People can unnecessarily be jerks sometimes. We'd much appreciate it if this wasn't a place where that happens. Please refrain from talking down to people, being overly patronizing, name-calling, personal insults, etc. **Hate speech of any kind will not** be tolerated. For a refresher, please see Reddit's entry on [Reddiquette](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/reddiquette) as a general guideline. - No Spam or Excessive Self-Promotion
Reddit has clear rules about [self promotion](https://reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion). We encourage you to be proud of/promote your work to a degree, but we also don't want users using this sub as a link farm to promote their project/website/YouTube channel. Reddit recommends that <10% of your posts promote your content. We're a *little* more forgiving, but don't take advantage of it. *"It's perfectly fine to be a redditor with a website, it's not okay to be a website with a reddit account."* - Memes & Low-Effort Posts
This sub is a place for discussion and news regarding the world of open source projects. There are literally hundreds of other subs dedicated to memes and shitposting. Please keep those kinds of posts in those subs. All AI-generated content is low-effort and ban worthy. - Be On-Topic
Posts should be of direct relevance to the open source community. Off-topic posts will be removed. Code or repositories linked to MUST have a LICENSE file that MUST be an OSI listed Open Source license: https://opensource.org/licenses - No Sensationalized Titles
If your post is a link to an article, please keep your post title as close to, if not the same as, the linked article's title. You're more than welcome to post a comment in the thread that states your opinion of said article. - No Drive-By Posting / Karma Farming
Karma farm accounts are not going to be welcome here, regardless of the validity of the posted content. Drive-by posts from accounts where there is obviously no intention of engaging in the following discussion may be removed. - No Link Aggregations
If there's an article within an aggregation of links/stories or a newsletter, link to the actual story or article. - Use Correct Flairs
[Flairs](https://www.reddit.com/r/opensource/comments/xrw5s9/new_postflairs/) should reflect the nature of the post. `Promotional` is when you are sharing a project, yours or otherwise. `Alternatives` is when you are soliciting for suggestions of OSS that fulfills a need. `Discussion` is for asking general questions when `Promotional` or `Alternatives` does not apply. `Community` is for something that will or has happened when `Promotional` does not apply.
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The verdict is our reading of r/opensource's rule text on 2026-09-26. Rules change and moderators decide: read the current rules before you post. Not affiliated with Reddit or r/opensource.