RenderCV
Write a resume as a YAML text file and render it to a PDF with consistent formatting.
- Stars
- 17.9k
- Forks
- 1.4k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Python
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
RenderCV is a tool that turns a resume or CV written in a plain YAML text file into a formatted PDF. You fill in your details in the file, run one command, and it handles layout, spacing and typography. Because the source is plain text, it can be tracked in version control and edited with an editor that supports YAML.
- Generate a PDF CV from a YAML file with one command: rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml
- Create a starter file with rendercv new "John Doe" and edit it
- Switch between built-in themes such as classic or harvard by changing the design section
- Use the JSON Schema in an editor to get autocompletion while writing the YAML
- Let an AI coding agent edit the CV through the RenderCV skill
Great for
- Academics who need a long CV with publications and education sections
- Engineers who prefer editing text files over word processors
- People who want to keep their resume in Git and regenerate it after changes
- Users who want to choose from several built-in themes and adjust colors, margins and fonts
Not ideal for
- People who want a visual drag-and-drop editor, since the README describes writing YAML by hand
- Users who need a non-English layout without setting the locale fields, since localization is configured manually
- Anyone uncomfortable with installing Python packages or using a command line
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Python 3.12+
Install RenderCV
pip install "rendercv[full]"Create a new CV file
rendercv new "John Doe" - 2
Run it
- Install RenderCV with pip using the command in the README
- Create a starter YAML file with rendercv new "John Doe"
- Edit John_Doe_CV.yaml with your own details
- Render the PDF with rendercv render "John_Doe_CV.yaml"
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the JSON Schema with an editor for autocompletion and inline documentation
- Adjust the design section to change theme, page margins, colors and font family
- Set the locale fields to change the language and date wording
- Install the AI agent skill with npx skills add rendercv/rendercv-skill if you use a compatible agent
- Follow the VS Code setup guide in the docs for a live preview
Downloads
Strengths
- Plain-text source files that work well with version control
- Strict validation reports errors with the location of the problem, according to the README
- Multiple themes and detailed design options such as margins, colors and typography
Trade-offs
- Requires writing YAML, which has a learning curve for non-technical users
- Output quality and features depend on the README's described options; the README is truncated so not all details were verified
- Setup requires Python 3.12 or newer, per the README
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| rendercv (this) | 17.9k | App | intermediate | 6 days ago | Academics who need a long CV with publications and education sections |
| reactive-resume | 45.2k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Job seekers who want a free resume editor with no paid tier |
| best-resume-ever | 16.5k | App | intermediate | 2.4 years ago | Developers comfortable running a few npm commands who want a resume they can version-control |
| career-ops | 79.4k | AI model / agent | intermediate | 4 days ago | Job seekers who apply to many listings and want to filter them before spending time on each one |
| ai-job-search | 68.9k | AI model / agent | intermediate | 4 days ago | People comfortable using a command-line tool who want a structured, repeatable job application process |
| resume | 11.5k | Other | intermediate | 2.6 years ago | People comfortable with LaTeX who want a consistent, professionally styled résumé |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.