best-resume-ever
Open-source Vue tool that builds PDF resumes from a YAML data file and multiple layouts.
- Stars
- 16.5k
- Forks
- 2.3k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Vue
- Last update
- 2.4 years ago
- Type
- App
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
best-resume-ever is a free, MIT-licensed project that generates resumes as PDFs. You put your details in a data.yml file and a profile photo in a folder, then pick from several built-in layouts (such as Cool, Creative, Green, Purple, and Side Bar) to preview and export your resume. It is built with Vue and LESS and runs on Node.js.
- Edit resume/data.yml with your work history and export a PDF with npm run export
- Preview several built-in layouts at a local dev server on port 8080 before choosing one
- Keep your resume data in a git repository and regenerate the PDF after changes
- Create a template of your own by following the developer docs linked in the README
Great for
- Developers comfortable running a few npm commands who want a resume they can version-control
- People who want to keep one set of resume data and produce several layout variants from it
- Users who prefer editing a text file over using a drag-and-drop resume builder
- People who need right-to-left layouts, as the README shows RTL variants
Not ideal for
- Non-technical users who cannot install Node.js or use a terminal, since setup requires cloning a repo and running npm commands
- People who want to edit resumes visually in a browser without touching files, because the workflow is file-based
- Anyone needing a resume format or layout not included, since adding templates requires developer docs (DEVELOPER.md) and code changes
How to get it
- 1
Clone and build from source
You'll need: Node.js 8.5.0 or higher
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/salomonelli/best-resume-ever.gitInstall dependencies (run inside the cloned folder)
npm install - 2
Run it
- Edit resume/data.yml with your details and replace id.jpg in the resume/ folder with your photo.
- Run npm run dev and open http://localhost:8080/home in your browser.
- Click a layout to preview your resume with your data and picture.
- Stop the dev server and run npm run export; PDFs are written to the pdf/ folder.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the layout previews on the home page to compare designs before exporting
- Keep the dev server stopped while exporting, as the README warns that running two npm run commands at once can cause errors
- Read DEVELOPER.md if you want to create or update templates
- Use the RTL layouts if your resume is in a right-to-left language
Downloads
Strengths
- Separates resume content (YAML data) from layout, so one dataset can feed several designs
- Ships with multiple layouts, including RTL variants, shown in the README previews
- MIT license and a large star count indicate a widely used, freely reusable project
Trade-offs
- Setup depends on Node.js and npm, which is a barrier for non-developers
- The README is truncated and does not state the current Node.js version beyond 8.5.0 minimum, and the last push date is June 2024, so maintenance status is unclear
- No release is published, so you install from the main branch source
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| best-resume-ever (this) | 16.5k | App | intermediate | 2.4 years ago | Developers comfortable running a few npm commands who want a resume they can version-control |
| reactive-resume | 45.2k | App | beginner | 4 days ago | Job seekers who want a free resume editor with no paid tier |
| rendercv | 17.9k | App | intermediate | 6 days ago | Academics who need a long CV with publications and education sections |
| 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 |
| fe-interview | 26.3k | Learning resource | beginner | 1.0 years ago | Front-end developers preparing for job interviews |
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.