For the last 17 years, Stack Overflow has been the resource for developers at all experience levels, and for good reason. With over 83 million questions and answers, our platform has been an essential tool for anyone learning how to code.
As a student, Stack has the answers to just about any question you might have for your computer science classes or passion projects. But Stack isn’t just a tool for quick answers. It’s a place where you can learn from the largest developer community in the world, level up your skills, and build your knowledge based on real challenges developers have faced in their work.
If you’re new to Stack Overflow, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get a strong start this new year.
Create your Stack Overflow account
Before you post your first question, you’ll want a Stack Overflow account. To get started, go to stackoverflow.com and click “Sign up” in the top right corner.
Signing up will allow you to save answers, interact with the community through upvotes and comments, and get access to more AI Assist features. Plus, signing up allows you to build reputation, which gives you more site privileges, like the ability to earn badges for your questions and answers that are widely recognized across developer communities.
Find immediate answers using AI Assist
AI Assist can quickly access the 17 years worth of knowledge built by the community and the broader internet, making it easy to find and understand answers quickly. AI Assist prioritizes and sources community-verified answers first, then the LLM fills in any knowledge gaps when necessary. Nearly any question you might have for your classes and assignments has likely been asked by the millions of developers in the Stack community, and may be a source presented at the top of AI Assist’s response. And if you still need help, or want to dive deeper into technical topics after using this AI-powered, conversational search and discovery tool, there’s a convenient path to ask a question to the Stack Overflow community.
How to ask a good question
At the heart of Stack Overflow is the ability to get answers to any coding question you might have. If you still can't find your answer asking AI Assist and through searching on stackoverflow.com, now’s the time for you to ask the developer community for help.
While there are a lot of great resources out there on how to ask a good question on Stack Overflow, here are a few things to help you get the answer you’re looking for:
- Your question title is important. Keep it direct and clear.
- Describe the problem before you post any code
- Try out Staging Ground if you want feedback on your question from experienced users before it's posted publicly.
This is just the beginning of your developer journey
Stack Overflow has a lot to explore, so take your time and check out these resources to keep learning and growing all things Stack.
- Stack Overflow is helping you learn to code with new resources
- Introducing your newest study buddy: AI Assist
- Kickstart your career by building your Stack Overflow presence
- Back to school? Developers at Stack Overflow have some advice for you
We’re happy you’re here and know Stack Overflow is a great resource for you to help you succeed this new year.