If you work in tech, you know the orange banner. Hacker News YCombinator (often called "HN") is not just a news aggregator. It is the digital water cooler of Silicon Valley. It is where engineers, founders, and investors go to see what is actually happening in the industry.

But HN is intimidating. It looks like a website from 2006 (because it is), and the community is notoriously strict. One wrong move, and your post gets flagged into oblivion. This guide explains what Hacker News is, how the HN YCombinator connection works, and how to participate without looking like a rookie.

What exactly is Hacker News?

Hacker News (HN) is a social news website run by Y Combinator that focuses on computer science and entrepreneurship. Unlike other social networks, it prioritizes intellectual curiosity over engagement. Users submit links, and the community votes them up or down. To succeed, you must share high-quality, factual content and strictly avoid self-promotion or marketing language.

The Origin Story: Why did Y Combinator build this?

Paul Graham, the co-founder of Y Combinator, created Hacker News in 2007. Originally, it wasn't even called Hacker News; it was called "Startup News."

Graham had a specific goal. He wanted a project to test the Arc programming language, a dialect of Lisp that he was developing. He needed a real-world application to see how the language handled traffic and database calls.

Many people assume YC Hacker News is just a marketing channel for Y Combinator startups. That is false. While YC companies do post there, the community is fiercely independent. If a YC company posts a bad product or a fluffy blog post, the community will tear it apart just as fast as they would any other company.

The site remains a standalone entity. It serves as a gathering place for people who like to build things. It values substance. If you built a cool command-line tool, you belong here. If you wrote a press release about "synergy," you do not.

How does the Hacker News ranking algorithm work?

This is the part most engineers want to know. How does a story get to the front page?

Hacker News uses a specific algorithm to determine rank. It balances points (upvotes) against time. The goal is to keep the front page fresh. A story with 100 upvotes posted 24 hours ago should not rank higher than a story with 50 upvotes posted 2 hours ago.

The core formula is derived from this equation:

$$Score = \frac{P - 1}{(T + 2)^G}$$

Here is what these variables mean:

• $P$ (Points): The number of upvotes a post has. We subtract 1 to negate the submitter's own automatic upvote.

• $T$ (Time): The time in hours since the submission.

• $G$ (Gravity): This is the "decay" factor. It defaults to roughly 1.8.

What this means for you:

The denominator $(T + 2)^G$ grows exponentially as time passes. This "gravity" pulls your post down the page. To stay on the front page, your upvote rate ($P$) must beat the drag of gravity.

If a moderator or the algorithm detects something fishy (like a flame war or spam), they can increase the Gravity ($G$). This creates a "heavy" post that sinks off the front page immediately, even if it has hundreds of upvotes.

How does the Karma system work?

Hacker News karma is a trust metric. You earn karma when people upvote your links or comments. You lose karma if your comments get downvoted (links cannot be downvoted, only flagged).

Karma is not just a vanity number. It unlocks features on the site. This system prevents spammers and trolls from ruining the conversation. New accounts have very little power.

Here is a breakdown of what your Karma points unlock:

The Trust Filter

This system acts as a barrier to entry. If you see a comment that is greyed out, it means the community downvoted it. If you have less than 50 karma, you cannot even participate in that downvoting process. You have to earn your seat at the table by posting good content first.

What is the difference between Show HN and Ask HN?

When you post, you aren't limited to just sharing links. There are two specific prefixes you can use to start a discussion.

1. Show HN

This is for makers. Use Show HN when you want to share something you have built.

• The Rule: It must be something users can play with, read, or watch. A landing page that says "Coming Soon" is not a Show HN.

• The Format: "Show HN: I built a tool that converts SQL to English."

• The Goal: Feedback, not sales. If you frame it as "Check out my product," you will get engagement. If you frame it as "Buy my solution," you will get flagged.

2. Ask HN

Use Ask HN to pose a question to the community.

• Examples: "Ask HN: What books are you reading in 2024?" or "Ask HN: How do you handle technical debt?"

• The Mechanics: Ask HN posts often get less karma than links, but the comment quality is usually very high. These posts do not rely as heavily on the algorithm; they rely on sparking a genuine discussion.

The Culture of "Intellectual Curiosity"

This is the most difficult part for outsiders to grasp. Hacker News YCombinator has a distinct culture. If you violate it, you will have a bad time.

The Golden Rule: Be Interesting, Not promotional.

The community hates marketing. They hate "business speak." If your title sounds like a sales pitch, users will flag it without even reading the article.

Comment Etiquette

Comments on HN are expected to be substantive.

• Bad Comment: "Great post!" or "I agree." (These add no value).

• Bad Comment: "This is stupid." (This is uncivil).

• Good Comment: "This approach to database sharding is interesting, but have you considered the latency issues mentioned in the 2018 Google whitepaper?"

Moderation and "dang"

The site has automated moderation, but it also has a human touch. Daniel Gackle, known by the username dang, is the primary moderator. He is famous for stepping into heated arguments and politely asking people to calm down.

If dang comments on your thread, listen to him. He protects the quality of the conversation. He will edit titles that are clickbait. He will ban users who are being rude. The goal is to keep the site focused on ideas, not insults.

How to "Rank" on Hacker News (Without Cheating)

You want your blog post or tool to hit the front page. That traffic can crash a server (it's called the "HN Hug of Death"). Here is how to give yourself the best chance organically.

1. Write a Factual Title

The title is 80% of the battle.

• Clickbait (Bad): "You won't believe how fast this new Rust framework is."

• Factual (Good): "Axum: An ergonomic web framework for Rust."

The community prefers the factual title. In fact, if you use a clickbait title, moderators will often rewrite it for you.

2. Check the "New" Queue

Every post starts in the New queue. This is the limbo where posts live before they get enough points to hit the front page.

You need a few early upvotes to escape gravity. If you post and nobody sees it within the first hour, the algorithm will bury it.

3. Timing Matters

The site is most active during US business hours. Posting between 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM Pacific Time (PT) often yields the best results because that is when the West Coast is waking up and the East Coast is at lunch.

4. Do Not Use Voting Rings

Never ask your friends to "go upvote my post." Hacker News has very sophisticated detection for this. If five people click your link from a direct message and upvote it instantly, the algorithm counts those votes as spam. It might even "shadowban" your domain, meaning nobody will ever see your posts again.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Hacker News only for hackers?

No. While the core topic is technology, you will find high-ranking discussions about history, physics, biology, and economics. The requirement is that the content satisfies "intellectual curiosity."

How do I get an invite to Hacker News?

You don't need one. Hacker News YCombinator is open to everyone. You can create an account in 10 seconds. There is no waitlist.

Why was my post flagged?

If your post background turns grey or disappears, it was flagged. This usually happens for three reasons:

1. It was self-promotion or spam.

2. It was off-topic (e.g., politics or crime news).

3. The title was misleading or clickbait.

Can I change my username?

No. Once you pick a username, you are stuck with it. Choose wisely.

Key Takeaways

• Hacker News (HN) is a community run by Y Combinator for sharing anything that gratifies intellectual curiosity.

• The Ranking Algorithm fights against time. You need consistent upvotes to stay visible.

• Karma acts as a gatekeeper. You need to earn trust before you can downvote or flag others.

• Show HN is for tools you built; Ask HN is for questions.

• Culture is King. Avoid marketing fluff, write factual titles, and never ask for upvotes.

Final Thoughts

Hacker News is one of the last places on the internet where text-based, long-form discussion still thrives. It isn't perfect, but it is the best place to find out what the smartest people in tech are thinking about.

Don't just read about it. Go create an account. Read the "New" queue. lurk for a week to understand the vibe, and then post a thoughtful comment. That is how you join the conversation.