Softonic

README Generator

Step 1 / 4 README.md
Next

Empty repositories are a bad first impression. Fill in the project name, a one-line tagline, a list of features, the install command, a quick-start snippet, the author and the license, and this generator emits a clean Markdown README with a proper heading hierarchy and fenced code blocks: the sections GitHub renders on your project landing page. Copy it, save it as README.md at the root of your repo, and push. The section headings are written in English, the near-universal convention for open-source READMEs; your own text appears exactly as you type it, in any language.

How to draft a README

  1. 1

    Add the basics

    Project name, an optional repository URL and a one-line tagline. The name becomes the `#` title; the tagline becomes the blockquote under it.

  2. 2

    List features and a quick start

    One feature per line (each becomes a bullet), plus a short quick-start snippet that is wrapped in a fenced code block.

  3. 3

    Install, license and author

    The install command goes in a `bash` code block under Installation; add the license (MIT, Apache-2.0…) and an optional author line.

  4. 4

    Copy the Markdown

    Hit copy and paste the output as `README.md` at the root of your repo. Push and the rendered version appears on the project page.

What a good README contains

GitHub’s own style guide and the widely used standard-readme spec agree on the order. Put the skimmable bits at the top, a human who lands on your repo decides in 20 seconds whether to keep reading.

Section Position Purpose
Title + tagline Line 1–2 # Project followed by one sentence of what it does
Badges Line 3–5 CI status, npm version, license, coverage
Install Above the fold A single command someone can copy
Usage Above the fold The minimum viable snippet that produces output
API / options Middle Tables of flags, config keys or endpoints
Contributing Near the end Link to CONTRIBUTING.md, code of conduct, PR conventions
License Last SPDX identifier plus link to LICENSE

Badges that actually help

Shields.io URLs follow a predictable pattern: https://img.shields.io/badge/<label>-<message>-<color>.svg. Useful live badges point at build status, package version and download counts, not vanity metrics. Four badges is usually enough; more is noise.

Common README mistakes

  • No install command on line 1 of Install. Readers skim for npm install or pip install; hide it behind prose and they leave.
  • Screenshots that are 3 MB. Resize to 800 px wide and compress, GitHub will serve them regardless, but mobile readers pay the bandwidth.
  • Outdated badges. A red CI badge tells visitors the project is broken. Either fix CI or remove the badge.
  • Missing license. Without a license, your code is “all rights reserved” by default and companies cannot use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Fenced code blocks, bullet lists and ATX-style headings (# prefix) all render on GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket without changes. The install command is tagged as a bash block; the quick-start block is left untagged so you can set the language yourself.

For most ecosystems, README.md. Use .rst only if you are publishing a Python package whose documentation lives on Read the Docs and you want Sphinx to reuse the file as the landing page.

When you provide a repository URL, the generator adds a single static license badge (https://img.shields.io/badge/license-<type>-blue.svg). For live badges, build status, version, downloads, copy a shields.io URL pattern and paste it into the output yourself.

No. The README is assembled from the form values and nothing is saved. Close the tab and the data is gone.

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