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What is css-in-readme-like-wat?

ruanyf/css-in-readme-like-wat — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-17 · repo last pushed 2020-07-24

★ 3Audience · developerComplexity · 1/5DormantSetup · easy

In one sentence

A trick that shows how to style GitHub README text and headers with CSS by embedding SVG images, since Markdown alone can't control colors, fonts, or layout.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((css-in-readme-like-wat))
    What it does
      Styles README with SVG
      Bypasses Markdown limits
      Uses CSS in images
    Tech stack
      SVG
      CSS
      Markdown
    Use cases
      Branded README headers
      Custom typography
      Polished project pages
    Audience
      Open-source maintainers

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Create a branded, colorful header image for a GitHub README.

USE CASE 2

Add custom fonts or typography that plain Markdown can't support.

USE CASE 3

Make an open-source project's first impression more polished and distinct.

What is it built with?

SVGCSSMarkdown

How does it compare?

ruanyf/css-in-readme-like-wat0marildo/imago100/geotwitter
Stars333
Language—PythonPython
Last pushed2020-07-24—2015-09-10
MaintenanceDormant—Dormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity1/52/53/5
Audiencedevelopergeneralgeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Maintaining styled content as SVG is more effort to update than plain Markdown text.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to build an SVG file with styled CSS text I can embed in my GitHub README.
Prompt 2
Create a branded header.svg for my project using this repo's technique.
Prompt 3
Explain how embedding SVG in a README gets around Markdown's styling limits.

Frequently asked questions

What is css-in-readme-like-wat?

A trick that shows how to style GitHub README text and headers with CSS by embedding SVG images, since Markdown alone can't control colors, fonts, or layout.

Is css-in-readme-like-wat actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2020-07-24).

How hard is css-in-readme-like-wat to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is css-in-readme-like-wat for?

Mainly developer.

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