Your Profile and Profile README
When someone clicks Asha's name on a commit, they land on her GitHub profile. For a student or job seeker, that page often works as a first impression. A few minutes of setup, plus one special repository, turn it from blank to useful.
The rule
A public repository named exactly like your username puts its README on your profile.
The basics live in your profile settings:
- Name and avatar: a real name or a clear handle, and a recognisable picture.
- Bio: one or two lines on what you do or are learning.
- Location, website and social links, as much as you are comfortable sharing publicly.
- Pinned repositories: choose up to six repositories to show at the top, instead of whatever was updated last.
Below those, the profile shows your contribution graph, a calendar of activity on GitHub. Commits count towards it only when they are made with an email address that is added to your GitHub account. This is where the user.email you set in git config pays off: if it matches an address on your account, your commits are linked to your profile; if not, they appear under a name GitHub cannot connect to you.
The profile README is a special trick. Create a new repository whose name matches your username exactly, make it public, and give it a README.md. GitHub then shows that README at the top of your profile.
# Asha's username is asha-dev, so the repository is asha-dev/asha-dev
git clone https://github.com/asha-dev/asha-dev.git
cd asha-dev
# write README.md, then:
git add README.md
git commit -m "Add profile introduction"
git pushThe README is written in Markdown, the same light formatting used across GitHub:
# Hi, I'm Asha
I'm learning Git by building **recipe-box**, a small collection of family recipes.
- Currently learning: Git and Python
- Ask me about: chai ratiosKeep it short, true and current. A few clear lines about what you build and learn beat a wall of badges and animations.
The shortcut
Check the three switches: name matches, public, has README. If the profile README does not appear, one of the three is off.
Name matches?
She named the repository
asha-profile. It must beasha-dev, her exact username. She renames it in Settings.
The trap is putting private details in a profile. Everything on it, including the README, is public to the world. Share what you would happily say to a stranger at a meetup.
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
Ravi's username is ravi-cooks. What must his profile README repository be called?
Asha's profile repository has the right name and a README, but it is private. What happens?
How many repositories can you pin to your profile?
Which content suits a profile README best?
Remember
- A public repository named exactly like your username puts its README on your profile.
- Name matches, public, has README: check all three when it does not show.
- Everything on a profile is public; keep it short, true and current.