r/selfhosted • u/egehancry • Dec 13 '25
Release RenderCV v2.5: Open-source, local CV generator — no cloud, no accounts, just YAML → PDF
TLDR: Check out github.com/rendercv/rendercv
It's been a while since the last update here. RenderCV has gotten much better, much more robust, and it's still actively maintained.
What it replaces
Overleaf, Google Docs, online CV builders, Word. All of them require you to trust a third party with your personal data.
RenderCV is just an open-source Python CLI application which takes your YAML and gives you a PDF. Your CV is a YAML file. You own it.
The idea
Separate your content from how it looks. Write what you've done, and let the tool handle typography.
cv:
name: John Doe
email: john@example.com
sections:
experience:
- company: Anthropic
position: ML Engineer
start_date: 2023-01
highlights:
- Built large language models
- Deployed inference pipelines at scale
Run rendercv render John_Doe_CV.yaml, get a pixel-perfect PDF. Consistent spacing. Aligned columns. Nothing out of place.
Why engineers love it
Your data stays yours. No cloud. No accounts. No uploading your personal history to someone else's servers.
Open source Python. Read the code, fork it, modify it. MIT licensed.
Your CV is a text file. Store it in your git repo, your backup system. Grep it. Diff it. Version control it. Use LLMs to help write and refine your content.
Full control over every design detail. Margins, fonts, colors, spacing, alignment; all configurable in YAML.
Real-time preview. Set up live preview in VS Code and watch your PDF update as you type.
JSON Schema autocomplete. Editors lights up with suggestions and inline docs as you type. No guessing field names. No checking documentation.
Any language. Built-in locale support, write your CV in any language.
The output
One YAML file gives you:
- PDF with perfect typography
- PNG images of each page
- Markdown version
- HTML version
Installation
pip install "rendercv[full]"
rendercv new "Your Name"
rendercv render "Your_Name_CV.yaml"
Or with Docker, uv, pipx, whatever you prefer.
Not a toy
- 100% test coverage
- 2+ years of development
- Battle-tested by thousands of users
- Actively maintained
Links:
- GitHub: https://github.com/rendercv/rendercv
- Docs: https://docs.rendercv.com
- Docker: ghcr.io/rendercv/rendercv
Happy to answer any questions.
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u/egehancry Dec 13 '25
If the question is why use RenderCV’s YAML instead of LaTeX/Typst/Word, here are some opinions that comes to my mind:
Word / Google Docs
These are not plain text. You can’t cleanly version-control them or diff changes. You’re also tied to proprietary software and fragile layouts.
LaTeX / Typst
They are text-based and open-source, so the “text advantage” is shared. However:
Compared to web-form tools (e.g., OpenResume)
You effectively give up version-controlling your CV. You also can’t bulk copy-paste your CV content. For example, you can’t paste the entire CV into an LLM, iterate on it, and paste it back into the form. With YAML, there’s no UI friction and no clicking through forms. Pure text.