Show HN: RenderCV – Open-source CV/resume generator, YAML → PDF

26•sinaatalay•4h ago

I built RenderCV because Word kept breaking my layout and LaTeX was overkill. I wanted my CV as a single YAML file (content, design, margins, everything) that I could render with one command.

Run rendercv render cv.yaml → get a perfectly typeset PDF.

Highlights:

1. Version-controllable: Your CV is just text. Diff it, tag it.

2. LLM-friendly: Paste into ChatGPT, tailor to a job description, paste back, render. Batch-produce variants with terminal AI agents.

3. Perfect typography: Typst under the hood handles pixel-perfect alignment and spacing.

4. Full design control: Margins, fonts, colors, and more; tweak everything in YAML.

5. Comes with JSON Schema: Autocompletion and inline docs in your editor.

Battle-tested for 2+ years, thousands of users, 120k+ total PyPI downloads, 100% test coverage, actively maintained.

GitHub: https://github.com/rendercv/rendercv

Docs: https://docs.rendercv.com

Overview on RenderCV's software design (Pydantic + Jinja2 + Typst): https://docs.rendercv.com/developer_guide/understanding_rend...

I also wrote up the internals as an educational resource on maintaining Python projects (GitHub Actions, packaging, Docker, JSON Schema, deploying docs, etc.): https://docs.rendercv.com/developer_guide/

Comments

scythmic_waves•1h ago

I used this recently for my resume and I recommend it.

I have the technical background to write Latex and Typst documents but I honestly didn't want the headache. Plus I'm the type to futz with styling all day long instead of putting down actual content. RenderCV was simple to use and did exactly what I wanted.

pietz•1h ago

A bit of a missed opportunity not to use the JSON Resume schema for this.

https://jsonresume.org/schema

sinaatalay•58m ago

We deliberately chose not to use JSON Resume because we wanted greater flexibility. For example, in RenderCV, you can use any section title you want and place any of the 9 available entry types under any section. In contrast, JSON Resume has predefined section titles, and each section is restricted to a predefined entry type. For instance, you must use the experience entry schema under the experience section.

catapart•1h ago

Oh awesome! This is a great solution to resumes. The only thing I'd like more is a web app to run it in.

sinaatalay•57m ago

We do have that, but it’s a bit outdated. We’ll update it at some point: https://app.rendercv.com

varun_ch•1h ago

This looks really interesting, but I’m wondering what this adds that someone can’t already do with Typst+a resume template. The basic-resume template already abstracts enough that you only need to care about content rather than formatting:

https://typst.app/universe/package/basic-resume/

Does anyone have examples of how they’re using the YAML?

sinaatalay•59m ago

RenderCV actually relies on its own Typst package: https://typst.app/universe/package/rendercv

Here are a couple of reasons, just a few that come to mind, why using YAML + RenderCV can be more appealing than working directly in Typst:

- Reusing the same content across multiple themes. YAML + RenderCV allows you to apply different themes and design options to the exact same content with no changes to the data itself. This is difficult to achieve in pure Typst, where switching templates typically means adapting your content to a different set of Typst commands.

- Centralized control over entry layouts. You can adjust how entire classes of entries are rendered from a single place—for example, changing the layout of all education entries at once, rather than editing each entry individually.

subdavis•1h ago

I’d love to know if this performs better than your average resume in OCR or scanning tools. I think if you could advertise that you follow some kind of arcane best practices, that would be super attractive to a lot of people.

I have a lot of anxiety about missing opportunities because of shitty OCR.

sinaatalay•55m ago

Thank you. We will add an analysis of how RenderCV PDFs perform with applicant tracking systems in docs at some point, but users have been reporting positive results. We generate the PDFs using Typst, which adheres to modern PDF standards.

NewsaHackO•39m ago

Wish I had seen this before making my resume in latex. One question, though to add publications, is it possible to use bibtex, or do you have to manually convert each publication to YAML?

sinaatalay•9m ago

Yes, unfortunately, you will need to convert them to YAML. I think an LLM can easily do that for you, though. This has been requested before, but we haven’t implemented it in order to keep our schema robust and simple. Maybe we should add it.

joshdavham•25m ago

Favorited for next time I make a resume - thanks for making this! Hopefully I’ll never have to touch LaTeX ever again.

Cloudly•6m ago

I have been through a huge over supply of AI generated CVs using similar tools this year. I am sure this will help people so not bashing the tool per se, but bare in mind that you will be joining the robots.

I don't know what the solution really is, but as much as I hate it, a verified Linkedin Profile is a huge signal now. Otherwise a real personal site with care and history. I am guilty of being bad with the second so - no easy answers. Maybe even a wacky looking CV would make me notice a candidate more. Powerpoint 90s style.

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Show HN: RenderCV – Open-source CV/resume generator, YAML → PDF

Comments

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Show HN: RenderCV – Open-source CV/resume generator, YAML → PDF

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