CraftCV

One CV Away from Your Dream Job

A free, open-source, privacy-first resume builder that runs entirely in your browser.

No account. No backend. No tracking. Your data never leaves your device.

Made by Ali Nadeem

---

⚠️ Phase 1 — early release

This is Phase 1 of CraftCV: the core builder, importer, and customization are in place and working, but it is early software that hasn't been battle tested across every browser, resume layout, or edge case. Use it at your own risk — always keep your own copy of important résumé content (the JSON / text export is there for exactly this), and expect rough edges. See the License for the full no-warranty terms.

CraftCV is a client-side resume builder. Everything; your resumes, photos, and settings — is stored in your browser's localStorage. There is no server to send your data to, and JSON export/import is the backup story. I have already deployed on Vercel so you can use it too.

Features

• Multiple resumes — dashboard with live thumbnail previews; create, duplicate, rename, delete.
• Split-screen editor — form panels on the left, a true-to-print A4/US-Letter preview on the right that updates as you type. On mobile, tab between Edit and Preview.
• Six original templates — Aria (classic single column), Meridian (left sidebar), Atlas (right sidebar), Beacon (header banner), Quill (compact), and Folio (serif editorial).
• Drag-and-drop — reorder sections and entries within a section (dnd-kit, keyboard-accessible).
• Rich section set — Profile, Experience, Education, Skills (with optional level indicators and grouping), Languages, Projects, Certificates, Courses, Organisations, Interests, Awards, Publications, References, and free-form Custom sections. Any section can be hidden or renamed.
• Per-entry controls — hide/show an individual entry without deleting it, and duplicate any entry.
• Rich text — bold, italic, underline, links, and bullet lists in descriptions.
• Design customizer (identity-safe) — accent colour (presets + custom hex), 8 fonts + optional separate name font, font size, line height, page margins, section spacing; skill style (dots / bars / pills / text); heading case + style; entry date position; contact-icon toggle; photo on/off, shape (round/rounded/square), size and border; column-layout override; page footer (page numbers / name / email); page size (A4 / Letter); and several date formats. Every control defaults to the current look.
• ATS-friendly PDF export — uses the browser's print engine, so the PDF is real, selectable text (not a rasterised image) with clean page breaks that never split an entry awkwardly.
• Auto-save — every change is persisted instantly, with a subtle "Saved" indicator.
• JSON + plain-text export — download a résumé as a .json backup (re-importable) or a .txt file.
• Résumé import — import an existing PDF or DOCX (parsed entirely client-side, no upload) or paste plain text. A review screen shows the parsed sections mapped to CraftCV's schema — editable, with a raw-text panel — so nothing imports without your confirmation. Scanned/image-only PDFs are detected and you're pointed to paste-text import (no OCR).
• Cover letter builder — a matching cover letter that inherits the résumé's template and colours, with its own PDF export.
• Multi-language & RTL — rename any section label (e.g. Experience → Berufserfahrung) and switch the document to a right-to-left language.
• Dark mode — for the editor UI. The résumé paper always stays white.
• Load example — one click loads a fully populated sample résumé.

Why CraftCV

• Unlimited resumes (no paywall)
• 100% client-side (no accounts, no tracking)
• Live preview as you edit
• ATS-safe PDF export (selectable text, no images of text)
• Completely free and open source

Tech stack

Vite · React 18 · TypeScript (strict) · Tailwind CSS · Zustand (+ persist) · dnd-kit · react-router-dom · lucide-react · pdfjs-dist + mammoth (client-side PDF/DOCX import, lazy-loaded) · native window.print() with dedicated print CSS for PDF export.

Local development

npm install
npm run dev      # start the dev server (default: http://localhost:5173)
npm run build    # type-check (tsc) + production build to dist/
npm run preview  # preview the production build locally
npm run lint     # tsc --noEmit type check

Exporting a PDF

Open a résumé, click Export PDF, and in the browser print dialog choose Save as PDF. Set margins to None (CraftCV controls its own margins) for a pixel-accurate match with the preview.

Routing uses HashRouter, so deep links (e.g. /#/editor/abc) work on any static host with no extra rewrite configuration.

Privacy

CraftCV makes no network requests for your data. Résumés live only in your browser. Clearing site data or localStorage erases them — use Export JSON to keep a backup.

Project structure

craftcv/
├── src/
│   ├── components/
│   │   ├── editor/       # form panels, section & entry management
│   │   ├── preview/      # WYSIWYG renderer, pagination, print mount
│   │   ├── templates/    # template definitions
│   │   ├── customizer/   # design controls
│   │   └── ui/           # shared buttons, inputs, modal, rich-text editor
│   ├── store/            # Zustand stores (persisted)
│   ├── types/            # TypeScript interfaces
│   ├── utils/            # PDF export, JSON/text import, pagination, dates
│   ├── pages/            # Dashboard, Editor, CoverLetter
│   └── App.tsx
├── scripts/              # dev/test helpers
├── PLAN.md
├── LICENSE               # MIT
└── package.json

License

Released under the MIT License.

Use at your own risk. As stated in the license, the software is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind. This is early Phase 1 software — the authors are not liable for any lost data, incorrect résumé output, or other issues arising from its use. Always keep your own backup of important content.

---

CraftCV — One CV Away from Your Dream Job · Made by Ali Nadeem