A curated list of awesome READMEs
Elements in beautiful READMEs include, but are not limited to: images, screenshots, GIFs, text formatting, etc.
Examples
6338β
1831π΄
ai/size-limit) - Project logo, clear description, screenshot, step-by-step installing instructions.218β
741π΄
aimeos/aimeos-typo3) - Project logo. Clear description of what the project does. Demo screenshot. TOC for easy navigation. Easy installation and setup sections with screenshots. Links for further reading.13543β
428π΄
ajeetdsouza/zoxide) - Badges, project GIF, concise description, quick links, stepwise installation instructions.1157β
249π΄
alichtman/shallow-backup) - Clear description of what the project does. GIF Demo. TOC for easy navigation. Badges. Links for further reading. Simple install instructions.1046β
261π΄
alichtman/stronghold) - Project logo. Clear description of what the project does. GIF Demo. TOC for easy navigation. Badges. Links for further reading. Simple install instructions.926β
921π΄
amitmerchant1990/electron-markdownify) - Project logo. Minimalist description of what it is. GIF demo of the project. Key features. How to install guide. Credits.13122β
1345π΄
amplication/amplication) - Clear project logo. Brief explanation. All features explained. Clean documentation. Useful links (website, docs, discord). List of contributors with their pictures and usernames.2393β
776π΄
anfederico/Clairvoyant) - Multiple badges. Clean logo. Simple install instructions. Clear overview of the project accompanied by a schematic. GIF demo. Extensive code examples.37β
35π΄
ankitwasankar/mftool-java) - Project logo with a short display of what can be achieved with it, TOC for easy navigation, important badges, clean installation guide, and multiple code snippets showing how to use the functionality.21β
3π΄
antoinezanardi/werewolves-assistant-api-next) - Project logo. Badges. Concise description. TOC for easy navigation. Simple install instructions and various sections. Clean project with code coverage, CI, and many other features.293β
39π΄
AntonioFalcaoJr/EventualShop) - The project has a logo and well-defined sections such as: information about the project, the architectural solution, along with reference links such as articles, videos, and documentation. It explains how to run the project in different environments (development and production). It has documented load tests, it also describes which technologies are used, and it has diagrams for the archetype.222β
107π΄
aregtech/areg-sdk) - Logo. Multiple info and statistics badges. List of contributors and stargazers with pictures. TOC and "Back to top" links for easy navigation. Headlines with graphics. Topic hide/show menu. Project description and philosophy. Clone and integration instructions. Quick build with multiple tools. Tools configuration instructions. Reference to examples and Demo projects. Reference to use cases. References to guidance and Wiki pages. Links with badges to contact. Links with badges to share project in social network.?β
?π΄
Armync/Arminc-AutoExec) - Rich Markdown functions, modern layout, clear description and compliant with the recommended community standards.4709β
375π΄
athityakumar/colorls) - Multiple badges. Clean screenshots. Simple install instructions. TOC for easy navigation. Good contributor guidelines.4599β
508π΄
ccostan/Home-AssistantConfig) - Project Banner. Badges. Easy navigation.6768β
673π΄
choojs/choo) - Badges, clean, clear. Beautiful little menu above the fold with useful links. An FAQ inside of it for the main questions. Backers. Good language.68β
105π΄
chroline/well_app) - Features attention-grabbing project thumbnail with clean badges, as well as download information and quick navigation links. Organized into multiple descriptive sections, each of which have a title with a yellow emoji. Includes details about the project itself, as well as the technologies used and how to contribute.2286β
248π΄
create-go-app/cli) - Clean project logo. Useful badges (version, code style, test cover, docs). Clear readme with quickstart, understandable installation and usage manual, video screencast, ToC with well-documented project features (with a demo recording of the work in the terminal), project philosophy notes ("the why another"), most frequently asked questions, and more.5364β
737π΄
Day8/re-frame) - Badges, logo, TOC, etc. Stands out by being a giant, well-written essay about the tech, how to use it, the philosophy behind it, and how it fits into the greater ecosystem.8266β
1435π΄
dbt-labs/dbt-core) - Project banner, super clear description (friendly to people brand new to the product), screenshot of the docs the tool generates, and concise links to other comprehensive pages explaining Getting Started, Joining the dbt Community, Bug Reports, Code Contribution, and Code of Conduct446β
261π΄
dowjones/react-dropdown-tree-select) - Clear readme with GIF screenshot for quick demo. Multiple badges, concise ToC, online playground, storybook, detailed description and more.74β
42π΄
easybase/easybase-react) - Project banner and logo. Badges. Expandable walkthrough sections. Concise description and purpose. TOC for easy navigation. GIFs for installation demo. Multiple informative visuals.1006β
166π΄
emalderson/thephish) - Project logo, informative badges, useful TOC, clear description, screenshots, step-by-step installation and configuration guide, contributor guidelines, code of conduct, UML diagrams, coherent tags, issue and pull request templates, well-documented and well-commented code, examples.7265β
882π΄
github-changelog-generator/github-changelog-generator) - TOC for easy navigation. Concise project description. Installation and usage sections. Output example. Great feature overview. List of alternatives. FAQ.4700β
830π΄
gitpoint/git-point) - Clear description. Project Logo. App Store logos. TOC. Clean screenshots. List of features. Detailed installation process. Landing Page.30299β
1570π΄
gofiber/fiber) - Clean project logo. Useful badges and links (languages switcher, code style, test cover, docs, Discord channel). Clear description of what the project does with quickstart, benchmark charts, well-documented code examples (with the ability to hide long content), project philosophy notes ("the why of project"), tables with project addons, list of contributors, star growth statistics, and more.350β
16π΄
gowebly/gowebly) - Clean project banner with logo. Useful badges and links (languages switcher, test cover, docs). Clear description of what the project does with quickstart, understandable feature list, links to the introduction video and article, well-documented CLI command examples, project philosophy notes ("motivation to create"), tables with project components, links to addons and helpers, list of stargazers, and more.736β
138π΄
Hexworks/Zircon) - Dogfood in readme. Clear description of what the project does. Demo screenshot. TOC for easy navigation. Easy installation and setup sections with screenshots. Links for further reading.31103β
3858π΄
httpie/httpie) - Description of what the project does. Demo screenshots. Project logo. TOC for easy navigation. Build badges. Quick and simple installation and usage sections. Includes an examples section.90β
320π΄
iharsh234/WebApp) - Project landing page. Clear description of what the project does. Demo screenshot. Simple install and usage sections. Includes an examples section with common uses and a mobile demo section.12877β
1145π΄
iterative/dvc) - ReStructuredText format example, PyPi compatible. Logo, custom website-like menu. Smooth how-it-works animation. Badges. Nice contribution section with the hall-of-fame.405β
48π΄
ivanperez-keera/Yampa) - Clear description. Feature list. TOC for easy navigation. Simple install instructions. Usage code samples. Project samples with GIFs and links to app stores. Documentation and publications. Clear development / contribution rules.2855β
207π΄
karan/joe) - Project logo. Clear description of what the project does. GIF demo. Easy install and usage sections.50β
10π΄
kopach/karma-sabarivka-reporter) - Project logo. Useful badges, clear readme with screenshots for quick demo. Concise ToC.25β
38π΄
L0garithmic/FastColabCopy) - Project logo. Minimalist description. Badges. GIF demo. About The Project. How To Use. Examples. Credits. Additional Examples.79β
92π΄
ma-shamshiri/Human-Activity-Recognition) - Beautiful table of contents. Project logo. Animated project banner. Complete project folder structure. Clear description of what the project does. Nice contributorsβ section. Easy navigation.67β
97π΄
ma-shamshiri/Pacman-Game) - Beautiful table of contents. Project logo. Animated project banner. Suitable GIFs to display each part of the project. Complete list of project files in the repo along with their function. Complete execution instruction.22β
98π΄
ma-shamshiri/Spam-Detector) - Complete project file description. Project logo. Animated project banner. Concise project description. Clear execution instruction.308β
50π΄
MananTank/radioactive-state) - Badges (version, downloads, coverage, size), Twitter Intent, Project Logo, Feature list, Motivation, Installation, Example with GIFs, Emojis, Collapsible Sections, Live Demos, API detailed usage, FAQs, Chat link.475β
195π΄
Martinsos/edlib) - Informative badges (build, version, publication). Concise description. Feature list. TOC. Screenshots. Concise instructions with examples for building and including in your project. Common code examples to get you started quickly.307β
22π΄
NASA/ogma) - Clear description. Feature list. Demo GIFs. Simple install instructions. Usage code samples. TOC for easy navigation.16643β
1726π΄
nhn/tui.editor) - Project logo. Clear overview of project features with a demo GIF. Badges. TOC for easy navigation. Colorful icons in front of titles.752β
773π΄
node-chat) - Project screenshot. Informative badges. Clear description. Easy installation/use instructions. Live demo.919β
191π΄
NSRare/NSGIF) - Project logo. GIF Demo. Usage artwork. Usage code samples.665β
177π΄
php-censor/php-censor) - Multiple badges, project logo, screenshots, step-by-step installing and upgrading instructions, TOC for easy navigation.15644β
931π΄
PostHog/posthog) - Custom-made section icons, demo GIF, deploy button, profile images for contributors, concise, clear structure, project logo.44β
16π΄
priyavrat-misra/xrays-and-gradcam) - TOC for easy navigation. Clear introduction of what the project does. Complete list of all files in the repo and what their function is. Usage section. Clean and concise tables.260β
60π΄
React on lambda) - Project logo, comics to present the main idea, badges, examples with code snippets, demo projects, api documentations, editor configurations.869β
107π΄
React Parallax Tilt) - GIF demo. Multiple badges. Feature list. Great live demo with code examples. Easy to follow instructions for local development set up.22003β
2278π΄
Rebilly/redoc) - Multiple badges, project logo, live demo link, GIF-animations of the key features, TL;DR usage.21639β
1605π΄
refinedev/refine) - Clean project logo. Brief description at top. Multiple badges. Usage description and examples. Use cases and demo links. Screenshots. Key Features. Contributors. Stargazers. Contribution guidelines.7341β
525π΄
release-it/release-it) - Clear overview of project features with a demo GIF. Badges. Expandable TOC. Usage description and examples. Contribution guidelines. Detailed releases.407β
57π΄
rstacruz/hicat) - GIF demo. Easy installation and setup sections with screenshots. Build badges. Great examples of use cases.49761β
3561π΄
ryanoasis/nerd-fonts) - Clean project logo. Brief description at top. Sankey diagram, quick links, badges, OS specific icons, TOC, detailed release changelog.1318β
223π΄
sebyddd/SDVersion) - Project logo. Build badges. Documentation structuring for multiple programming languages. Usage examples.1157β
180π΄
shama/gaze) - Project logo. Concise description. Feature list. Usage section. FAQ. Great API documentation. Release history.44β
35π΄
sidneycadot/oeis) - Overview. List of required dependencies. Complete list of all files in the repo and what their function is. Visual graph of how it all ties together.9617β
779π΄
sindresorhus/pageres) - Project logo. Clear description of what the project does. Build badges. Demo screenshot. Simple install and usage sections. Includes an examples section with common uses.266β
50π΄
skydio/revup) - Project logo. Animated GIF demo + GIFs for major stages of the step-by-step tutorial. Concise explanation, installation instructions, and contribution section.4229β
124π΄
Slackadays/Clipboard) - Project logo. Build and test/coverage badges. Transition from plain description to people-oriented description. Animated GIF showing usage. Custom banners for clearly laid out sections. Custom text assets for headers. Immediate call to action with Quick Start section. Consistent and easy to read command names and signatures. Three immediate options for getting help provided. Easter eggs provided for the detail-oriented.6717β
289π΄
sourcerer-io/sourcerer-app) - Clean animated screenshot. Customized call to action badge. Usage showcase.52β
67π΄
sr6033/lterm) - Clean logo using characters. Brief updates on development. Detailed contribution guidelines. Contribution suggestions.6β
10π΄
Stack-in-a-box/triumphmayflowerclub.com) - Stands-out because, while only a simple website, it is presented as a very open project for lesser-experienced developers to cut their teeth on, with a friendly, inclusive tone and accessible set-up instructions. Includes many common elements found in other beautiful READMEs.1082β
317π΄
sulu/sulu) - Project logo, useful badges, clear instructions on where to find more information and report bugs, GIF screenshots, nice use of emoticons.167β
93π΄
supunlakmal/thismypc) - Project logo. Useful badges. Web site URL. Screenshot. GIF step-by-step instructions for installation. Project folder structure.37β
80π΄
teles/array-mixer) - Clean project logo, badges. Table of contents. Contributing section. Many illustrated examples.5282β
671π΄
thelounge/thelounge) - Project logo. Useful badges and links (website, docs, demo). Screenshot. Feature list. Step-by-step instructions for installation, development, and testing. Link to the contributing guide. Good mobile summary.5328β
129π΄
themerdev/themer) - Project logo. Visual description (flowchart) of what the project does. Build badges. TOC. Demo screenshot. Concise install and usage sections, including common workflows. Colorful previews.1741β
150π΄
vhesener/Closures) - Project logo, cognitive funnel, animated examples. Color coordinated. Clean documentation.503β
47π΄
xnbox/DeepfakeHTTP) - Original hero section. Clear navigation. Minimalist design. Appendices.3514β
384π΄
zenml-io/zenml) - Clean project logo. Useful TOC. Clear code examples amongst feature list. Quickstart example.
Articles
6976β
434π΄
"Art of Readme - Learn the art of writing quality READMEs.") - Stephen Whitmore- π "Elegant READMEs" - Yegor Bugayenko
- π "How To Write A Great README" - Caleb Thompson (thoughtbot)
- π "Readme Driven Development" - Tom Preston-Werner
- π "Top ten reasons why I wonβt use your open source project" - Adam Stacoviak
- π "What I learned from an old GitHub project that won 3,000 Stars in a Week" - KyuWoo Choi
Tools
412β
221π΄
Amazing GitHub Template) - Useful README.md, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING.md, CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md, SECURITY.md, GitHub Issues, Pull Requests and Actions templates to jumpstart your projects.381β
258π΄
Common Readme) - A common readme style for Node. Includes a guide and a readme generator.1117β
56π΄
Feedmereadmes) - README editing and project analysis/feedback.63145β
20193π΄
GitHub Readme Stats) - Dynamically generated customizable GitHub cards for README. Stats, extra pins, top languages and WakaTime.943β
93π΄
Hall-of-fame) - Helps show recognition to repo contributors on README. Features new/trending/top contributors. Updates every hour.- π Make a README - A guide to writing READMEs. Includes an editable template with live Markdown rendering.
847β
848π΄
README best practices) - A place to copy-paste your README.md from10688β
1355π΄
readme-md-generator) - A CLI that generates beautiful README.md files- π Readme.so - A simple editor that allows you to quickly add and customize all the sections you need for your project's readme.
49β
33π΄
READMINE) - A thorough, clear and self-describing README file template for software projects; copy it and edit it as needed.- π StackEdit - A user-friendly online editor that allows you to quickly customize all the sections you need for your project's readme.
5848β
2597π΄
Standard Readme) - A standard README style specification. Has a generator to help create spec-compliant READMEs, too.71β
36π΄
user-statistician) - A GitHub Action that generates SVG of detailed GitHub user activity for profile readmes.800β
141π΄
Zalando's README Template) - Simple template to help you cover all the basics.
Creating GIFs
Embedding an animated gif in your README quickly demonstrates what your project does and catches the reader's eye. Here are a few programs that can help you quickly create gifs for your project:
7346β
297π΄
Gifski) - FREE - More vivid colors than the rest, but still keep size low.- π Giphy Capture - FREE - Easy to upload to giphy.com, slightly annoying UX.
- π LICEcap - FREE - Less intuitive, more features.
9965β
322π΄
Peek) - FREE - Simple and easy to use for Linux users.- π Recordit - FREE - Simple, clean UI, but auto-uploads to Recordit.
?β
?π΄
ScreenToGif) - FREE - Open source, customizable UI and easily editable GIFs, easy to get started.14796β
509π΄
terminalizer) - FREE - Record your terminal and generate animated gif images or share a web player.3236β
121π΄
ttystudio) - FREE - For commandline tools, a terminal-to-gif recorder minus the headaches.13127β
218π΄
vhs) - FREE - Generate beautiful terminal gifs with a simple scripting language
Get Feedback
1117β
56π΄
feedmereadmes) - Free README editing+feedback to make your open-source projects grow. See the README maturity model to help you keep going.- π maintainer.io - Free README standardization and feedback, if you click on 'Book an audit'.
Contribute
Contributions are always welcome! Please read the contribution guidelines first.
License
To the extent possible under law, π Matias Singers has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work.
Source
16398β
3744π΄
matiassingers/awesome-readme)