Article
A title, the body in Markdown and a short description.
Publish articles on DEV
Yes. Refract schedules DEV articles with a title, a Markdown body, a cover, up to 4 tags and a canonical link, published at the time you set or sent as a draft.
Step by step
How to schedule DEV posts with Refract.
- In Accounts, select Connect account and pick DEV. You connect a profile, with an API key you create on DEV.
- Select New post, pick your DEV account under Post to, and choose A note under Start from: the point, one detail and what to do.
- Select Write versions (the button counts them, like Write 3 versions). Refract writes the DEV version in your voice and within DEV’s limits, for 1 AI credit.
- Read the DEV version and edit it if you like. Checks lists anything DEV would refuse, with a fix for each. DEV also needs a title, set in its tab.
- Open the When menu: Add to queue takes your next free posting time, or choose Pick date and time, Repeat or Publish now.
- Select Approve all and add to queue (or Approve all and schedule). Refract publishes the post at that time, and it shows in your Calendar.
Limits
DEV limits and specs.
These are the rules the composer checks every DEV post against while you write.
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Text | Up to 819,200 characters |
| How text counts | Counted in bytes: plain letters count as one, accented letters as two, emoji as four. |
| Links in the text | Clickable |
| Hashtags | Not clickable |
| Photo or video | Optional |
| Photo formats | JPEG, PNG, WebP |
| Alt text | Yes, on every photo |
| Title | Up to 128 characters |
| Tags | Up to 4, 30 characters each |
Formats
What you can post on DEV.
Cover image
Shown at the top and in the feed.
Tags
Up to 4.
Canonical link
Points search engines to your original post.
Native everywhere
Written for DEV, from one note.
Every version starts from your note and follows DEV’s rules in your voice. These are Refract’s defaults; turn any off, reword them or add your own in Voice and rules.
DEV rules to start with
- Title states the takeawayRefract default
- 300 to 600 words, with short sectionsRefract default
- Code in fenced blocksRefract default
- Up to 4 tagsRefract default
- Canonical link to the original postRefract default
Timing
Best time to post on DEV.
There’s no single best time to post on DEV for every account. The best time is when your own followers are around, and that depends on where they live and what they do all day.
Start with your audience’s time zone. If most of them live in one region, post in their morning, lunch break and evening, not yours.
Then post at the same times every week for a few weeks and compare. In Analytics, Top posts and each post’s numbers show which times worked: keep those and move the others.
In Refract, your posting times are set in Settings › Workspace, in the workspace’s time zone. Add to queue fills the next free one, the Calendar shows the open slots, and Repeat keeps a regular post on schedule.
Checks
What Refract checks for you.
Checks run while you write, with a fix for each one. They come from the same rules the server uses, so a post that passes here won’t be rejected later.
- Up to 4 tags.
- A title on every article.
- Code in fenced blocks, so DEV highlights it.
- A canonical link when the article first appeared on your blog.
Connecting
Connecting DEV.
01
Create an API key in DEV, under Settings, Extensions.
02
Paste it into Refract.
03
Choose the workspace it belongs to.
Refract stores your API key encrypted and uses it only to publish what you schedule.
Questions
Scheduling DEV posts: questions.
Can I schedule DEV posts for free?
Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial of every feature, with no card needed. Refract has no free plan: after the trial, plans start at $10 a month, in US dollars. See pricing.
Can I post to DEV and other networks at once?
Yes. Pick your DEV account and any others under Post to. From one note, Refract writes a version for each network, and you approve them together. You can connect ten networks today.
Can I send an article to DEV as a draft?
Yes. Send it as a draft and it lands in your DEV drafts, so you can finish it there. If you remove a published article from Refract, DEV turns it back into a draft.
Can I set a canonical URL on DEV?
Yes. Point the canonical link at your original post so search engines credit it. DEV refuses a canonical link another published article already uses, and Refract tells you if that happens.
Does Refract post anything without my OK?
No. Versions written from a note wait until someone approves them. If your workspace asks for approval, contributors send posts for approval instead of scheduling them.
Related
More networks and guides.
Similar networks
Guides and tools
Your blog posts on DEV, without copy and paste.
Write one note and approve a version made for DEV, next to every other network you use.