What is dither-avatar?

dither-avatar is a small JavaScript library that generates unique profile pictures (avatars) automatically from any text string you provide, such as a username or email address. The avatars use a retro "dithered" visual style, a technique where patterns of dots or pixels create the illusion of shading, giving images a distinctive pixelated look. Because the process is deterministic, the same input string always produces exactly the same avatar, so a user will see a consistent image every time without needing to upload a photo. The library has no external dependencies, meaning it works in any JavaScript environment without installing anything extra. It outputs standard SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format, which is a text-based image format that looks sharp at any size. You can get back either raw SVG code or a data URI (a self-contained image URL) ready to use in an HTML image tag. There is also a React component for projects using that popular front-end framework. You would use this anywhere you need auto-generated profile pictures, for example, in a forum, chat app, or any platform where users may not have set a custom avatar.