Skip to content
Get packs

Guide · Open source

How to use best-resume-ever: install, edit data.yml and export PDF

Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

best-resume-ever is a free, MIT-licensed open-source project that builds resumes as PDFs from a text file. You store your details in a data.yml file, add a profile photo, choose one of several built-in layouts and export. This guide walks through installing it, editing your data, previewing layouts and exporting your PDFs.

best-resume-eversalomonelli/best-resume-ever · ★ 16.5k · MIT

Quick start

  1. 1Check Node.js. Run node -v and confirm the version is 8.5.0 or higher. Install Node.js from the official site if it is missing.
  2. 2Clone the repository. Run the git clone command to download best-resume-ever to your computer.
  3. 3Install dependencies. Move into the cloned folder and run npm install.
  4. 4Edit your data. Open resume/data.yml in a text editor and replace the sample details with yours.
  5. 5Add your photo. Rename your picture to id.jpg and copy it into the resume/ directory.
  6. 6Preview layouts. Run npm run dev and open http://localhost:8080/home to choose a layout.
  7. 7Export PDFs. Stop the dev server, run npm run export and collect your PDFs from the pdf/ folder.

What do you need before you install best-resume-ever?

You need Node.js version 8.5.0 or higher. The README says to check your installed version by typing node -v in a terminal. If Node.js is not installed, the README links to the official Node.js download page.

The setup is command-line based: you clone a repository and run npm commands, so you need to be comfortable using a terminal.

  • Node.js 8.5.0 or higher
  • A terminal to run git and npm commands
  • A profile photo you want to use on your resume
node -v

How do you install best-resume-ever?

Clone the repository with git, then move into the cloned folder and install the dependencies with npm. The README notes that npm install may take a few seconds.

  • Clone the repository from GitHub.
  • Go to the cloned folder (for example, cd best-resume-ever).
  • Run npm install inside that folder.
git clone https://github.com/salomonelli/best-resume-ever.git npm install

How do you add your details and photo?

Your resume content lives in the resume/ directory. Edit the data.yml file there with your details, using your computer's default text editor. The README suggests using Finder (macOS) or File Explorer (Windows) to find the files more easily.

Replace the default profile picture with your own. Rename your picture to id.jpg and copy it into the resume/ directory so it overwrites the default.

  • Edit resume/data.yml with your information.
  • Rename your photo to id.jpg.
  • Copy id.jpg into the resume/ directory.

How do you preview your resume and pick a layout?

Run npm run dev to start a local server. The README says it listens on port 8080. Open http://localhost:8080/home in your browser to see resume previews.

Click a layout you like to open your resume with your photo and data in the same window. The built-in layouts shown in the README include Cool, Creative, Green, Purple, Side Bar, Left Right, Material Dark and Oblique, with some having RTL or projects variants.

  • Run npm run dev.
  • Open http://localhost:8080/home.
  • Click a layout to see your resume with your data.
npm run dev

How do you export your resume as a PDF?

Stop the running npm run dev server before exporting. The README warns that running two npm run commands at once can cause errors. Then run npm run export. All resumes are written to the pdf/ folder.

  • Stop the dev server (npm run dev).
  • Run npm run export.
  • Find your PDFs in the pdf/ folder.
npm run export

Can you change templates or add a new layout?

Adding or changing templates is a developer task. The README points to DEVELOPER.md for how to create or update templates. It also asks contributors who change an existing template to commit those changes as new templates.

If you only need to change your text or photo, you do not need to touch the templates; editing data.yml and id.jpg is enough.

What people use it for

  • Keeping one resume data file and producing several layout variants from it.
  • Version-controlling your resume as plain text alongside other projects.
  • Creating a resume with right-to-left layouts, which the README shows as RTL variants.
  • Exporting a set of PDFs in one run with npm run export.

Frequently asked questions

Is best-resume-ever free?

Yes. The project is listed under the MIT license, and the README links to the license file in the repository. You can read the license terms there before using or modifying it.

What do I need to run best-resume-ever?

You need Node.js 8.5.0 or higher and a terminal to run git and npm commands. The README says setup requires cloning the repo and running npm install.

How do I install best-resume-ever?

Clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/salomonelli/best-resume-ever.git, go into the folder and run npm install. The README says this may take a few seconds.

Where do I edit my resume information?

Edit the data.yml file in the resume/ directory. Replace your profile picture by renaming your photo to id.jpg and copying it into the same folder.

Where are the exported PDFs saved?

All resumes are exported to the pdf/ folder when you run npm run export. Stop npm run dev first to avoid errors from running two npm commands at once.

Can I add my own resume template?

The README says templates are created or updated through the developer docs in DEVELOPER.md and involve code changes. If you are not comfortable with development, you will need to choose from the included layouts.

New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week

The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.

Our verdict

best-resume-ever suits developers and technical users who are comfortable with Node.js and npm, want to keep resume data as a text file, or need RTL layouts. If you cannot install Node.js, want a visual browser-based editor, or need a layout that is not included, pick a different tool such as Reactive-Resume, JSON Resume or Resume-Builder, which are listed as comparable projects.

Install options & downloads