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minetest_modding_book/_en/quality/releasing.md

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---
title: Releasing a Mod
layout: default
root: ../..
idx: 7.5
redirect_from: /en/chapters/releasing.html
---
## Introduction
Releasing, or publishing, a mod allows other people to make use of it. Once a mod has been
released it might be used in singleplayer games or on servers, including public servers.
* License Choices
* Packaging
* Uploading
* Forum Topic
### Before you release your mod, there are some things to think about:
* Is there another mod that does the same thing? If so, how does yours differ or improve on it?
* Is your mod useful?
## License Choices
You need to specify a license for your mod.
**Public domain is not a valid licence**, as the definition varies in different countries.
Your code and your art need different things from the licenses they use. For example,
Creative Commons licenses shouldn't be used with source code,
but can be suitable choices for artistic works such as images, text and meshes.
You are allowed any license; however, mods which disallow derivatives are banned from the
official Minetest forum. (Other developers must be able to take your mod, modify it,
and release it again.)
### LGPL and CC-BY-SA
This is a common license combination in the Minetest community, and is what
Minetest and minetest_game use.
You license your code under LGPL 2.1 and your art under CC-BY-SA. This means:
* Anyone can modify, redistribute and sell modified or unmodified versions.
* If someone modifies your mod, they must give their version the same license.
* Your copyright notice must be kept.
### WTFPL or CC0
These licenses allows anyone to do what they want with your mod.
This means they can modify, redistribute, sell, or leave out attribution.
These licenses can be used for both code and art.
It is important to note that WTFPL is strongly discouraged and people may
choose not to use your mod if it has this license.
### MIT
This is a common license for mod code. The only restriction it places on users
of your mod is that they must include the same copyright notice and license
in any copies of the mod or of substantial parts of the mod.
## Packaging
There are some files that we recommend you include in your mod
when you release it.
### README.txt
You should provide a readme file. This should state:
* What the mod does.
* What the license is.
* Current version of mod.
* How to install the mod.
* What dependencies there are / what the user needs to install.
* Where to report problems/bugs or get help.
See appendix for an example and a generator.
### description.txt
This should explain what your mod does. Be concise without being vague.
It should be short because it will be displayed in the content installer.
Good example:
Adds soup, cakes, bakes and juices
Don't do this:
(BAD) The food mod for Minetest.
### screenshot.png
Screenshots should be 3:2 (3 pixels of width for every 2 pixels of height)
and a [minimum size of 300 x 200px](https://github.com/minetest/minetest/issues/2874).
This is displayed in the mod store.
Uploading
---------
So that a potential user can download your mod, you need to upload it to somewhere
publicly accessible.\\
There are several methods you can use, but you should use the one that works
best for you, as long as it meets these requirements:\\
(and any other requirements which may be added by forum moderators)
* **Stable** - The hosting website should be unlikely to shut down without warning.
* **Direct link** - You should be able to click a link on the forum and download the file
without having to view another page.
* **Virus Free** - Mods with malicious content are not wanted.
### Github, or another VCS
It is recommended that you use a Version Control System because this:
* Allows other developers to easily submit changes.
* Allows the code to be previewed before downloading.
* Allows users to submit bug reports.
However, such systems may be hard to understand when you first use them.
The majority of Minetest developers use GitHub as a website to host their code,
but other alternatives are possible. For information on how to use GitHub,
please see:
* [Using Git](http://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Getting-Started) - Basic concepts. Using the command line.
* [GitHub for Windows](https://help.github.com/articles/getting-started-with-github-for-windows/) -
Using a graphical interface on Windows to upload your code.
### Forum Attachments
You can use forum attachments instead.
This is done when creating a mod's forum topic (covered below).
First, you need to zip the files into a single file. How to do this varies from
operating system to operating system.
On Windows, go to the mod's folder. Select all the files.
Right click, Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder.
Rename the resulting zip file to the name of your mod's folder.
On the "Create a Topic" page (see below), go to the "Upload Attachment" tab at the bottom.
Click browse and select the zipped file. It is recommended that you
enter the version of your mod in the comment field.
<figure>
<img src="{{ page.root }}//static/releasing_attachments.png" alt="Upload Attachment">
<figcaption>
Upload Attachment tab.
</figcaption>
</figure>
## Forum Topic
You can now create a forum topic. You should create it in
the ["WIP Mods"](https://forum.minetest.net/viewforum.php?f=9) (Work In Progress)
forum.\\
When you consider your mod no longer a work in progress, you can
[request that it be moved](https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10418)
to "Mod Releases."
### Content
The requirements of a forum topic are mostly the same as the recommendations for
a README.txt file:
* What the mod does.
* What the license is.
* Current version of mod.
* How to install the mod.
* What dependencies there are.
* Where to report problems/bugs or get help.
* Link to download, or an attachment.
You should also include screenshots of your mod in action, if relevant.
Here is an example. The Minetest forum uses bbcode for formating.
Adds magic, rainbows and other special things.
See download attached.
[b]Version:[/b] 1.1
[b]License:[/b] LGPL 2.1 or later
Dependencies: default mod (found in minetest_game)
Report bugs or request help on the forum topic.
[h]Installation[/h]
Unzip the archive, rename the folder to to modfoldername and
place it in minetest/mods/minetest/
( GNU/Linux: If you use a system-wide installation place
it in ~/.minetest/mods/minetest/. )
( If you only want this to be used in a single world, place
the folder in worldmods/ in your worlddirectory. )
For further information or help see:
[url]http://wiki.minetest.com/wiki/Installing_Mods[/url]
If you modify the above example for your mod topic, remember to
change "modfoldername" to the name of the folder your mod should be
in.
### Title
The subject of topic must be in one of these formats:
* [Mod] Mod Title [modname]
* [Mod] Mod Title [version number] [modname]
* eg: [Mod] More Blox [0.1] [moreblox]
### Profit
<figure>
<img src="{{ page.root }}//static/releasing_profit.png" alt="Profit">
<figcaption style="display:none;">
Profit
</figcaption>
</figure>
## Appendix: Readme and Forum Generator
<noscript>
<p>Javascript is required for this section!</p>
</noscript>
Title: <input id="t_title" value="My Super Special Mod"><br />
Modname: <input id="t_name" value="mysuperspecial"><br />
Description: <input id="t_desc" value="Adds magic, rainbows and other special things."><br />
Version: <input id="t_version" value="1.1"><br />
License: <input id="t_license" value="LGPL 2.1 or later"><br />
Dependencies: <input id="t_dep" value="default mod (found in minetest_game)"><br />
Download: <input id="t_download" value="http://example.com/download.zip"><br />
Additional:<br />
<textarea id="t_add">Report bugs or request help on the forum topic.</textarea><br />
<pre><code id="readme">My Super Special Mod
====================
Adds magic, rainbows and other special things.
Version: 1.1
License: LGPL 2.1 or later
Dependencies: default mod (found in minetest_game)
Report bugs or request help on the forum topic.
Installation
------------
Unzip the archive, rename the folder to mysuperspecial and
place it in minetest/mods/
( GNU/Linux: If you use a system-wide installation place
it in ~/.minetest/mods/. )
( If you only want this to be used in a single world, place
the folder in worldmods/ in your worlddirectory. )
For further information or help see:
http://wiki.minetest.com/wiki/Installing_Mods</code></pre>
<pre><code id="forum">Adds magic, rainbows and other special things.
[b]Version:[/b] 1.1
[b]License:[/b] LGPL 2.1 or later
[b]Dependencies:[/b] default mod (found in minetest_game)
[b]Download:[/b] http://example.com/download.zip
Report bugs or request help on the forum topic.
[h]Installation[/h]
Unzip the archive, rename the folder to mysuperspecial and
place it in minetest/mods/
( GNU/Linux: If you use a system-wide installation place
it in ~/.minetest/mods/. )
( If you only want this to be used in a single world, place
the folder in worldmods/ in your worlddirectory. )
For further information or help see:
http://wiki.minetest.com/wiki/Installing_Mods</code></pre>
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