The best GitHub profiles are not the busiest ones. They pin a few well-documented projects, keep READMEs that explain the problem and how to run it, show steady small commits, and show collaboration through pull requests, reviews and issues. Study the 16 profiles below, then build yours: create a repository named exactly like your username, add a short README, pin up to six repositories and keep committing to real projects.
Followers and stars were read on 4 November 2026 and change daily. Profiles were chosen because they are active and have something specific a student can copy: a README habit, a repo layout, a way of pinning or a maintenance routine. Five are India-based.
What makes a GitHub profile good
- A few pinned projects, not many. GitHub lets you pin up to six repositories and gists, and visitors read the pins first.
- READMEs that say what, why and how to run it. Add a screenshot or demo link and the setup steps.
- Steady small commits with messages that explain why, rather than one giant upload.
- Evidence of working with others: pull requests, code reviews and issue discussions.
- Maintenance. Reply to issues, tag releases and mark old projects as archived.
A caveat from the evidence: we found no named survey measuring how many recruiters check GitHub or what they weigh, and widely quoted percentages have no source. The best-supported advice is from hiring guides and a 2013 academic study of how GitHub users judge each other, covered below. A sparse profile should not count against you, because most engineers have little public code.
16 GitHub profiles worth studying
Creators and maintainers of tools you use
| Profile | Known for | What to learn from it | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| torvalds | The Linux kernel | A near-empty profile still works because the work is the proof. Merge commits explain what changed and why | about 330,000 |
| gvanrossum | Python (CPython) | Fork, then pull request: most of his repos are forks of projects he contributes to, and reviewing is most of his activity | about 27,000 |
| yyx990803 | Vue and Vite | Pins can point at organisation projects you contribute to. Most of his recent work is private, so do not copy an empty public history | about 112,000 |
| gaearon | React contributor and writer | Docs and blog contributions are portfolio material. He keeps his blog in a public repository | about 94,000 |
| sindresorhus | Hundreds of small npm packages | Many single-purpose packages with a repeatable layout, frequent releases and tidy issues | about 85,000 |
| addyosmani | Web performance, AI engineering skills | Pins a mix of own and organisation projects, with a visible habit of reviewing pull requests | about 55,000 |
| kentcdodds | Testing Library and teaching | Teaches in public: his site and workshop apps are open source | about 36,000 |
| simonw | Datasette and LLM tools | The model for a self-updating profile README, refreshed hourly by a GitHub Action, and many small plugin repos with release notes | about 18,000 |
| karpathy | nanoGPT, nanochat, micrograd | Small, readable repos you can study end to end. His README is one line and the pins do the talking | about 230,000 |
Educators and curators
| Profile | Known for | What to learn from it | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| nilbuild (Kamran Ahmed) | The developer roadmaps repository, formerly under kamranahmedse | Curated education as a repository, with contribution guidelines and active triage | about 41,000 |
| ashishps1 | Awesome lists for system design and LeetCode | Consistently named resource lists with topics and one licence. Most of his public graph is private | about 14,000 |
India-based developers
| Profile | Known for | What to learn from it | Followers |
|---|---|---|---|
| anuraghazra | github-readme-stats | A tiny tool for profile READMEs grew to about 80,000 stars; the repo has contributing, security and conduct files and tests | about 15,000 |
| s0md3v | Security tools such as XSStrike and Photon | Single-purpose command-line tools with short READMEs and a consistent licence habit. Use security tools only on systems you are allowed to test | about 10,000 |
| amitshekhariitbhu | Android libraries and AI engineering learning repos | Libraries and learning repos side by side, all under one licence, with many topics for discovery | about 9,000 |
| kovidgoyal | calibre and the kitty terminal | Depth in two projects: thousands of commits a year, a changelog and contributing guide in each repo | about 6,000 |
| arpitbbhayani | DiceDB and system design notes | Visible daily shipping, plus writing and videos around the code | about 8,000 |
Masai's blog has another list, 12 GitHub profiles every developer must follow. Profiles we checked and left out were inactive or mostly forks.
How to build your own profile README, step by step
- Check the four conditions. GitHub shows the README only if the repository is named exactly like your username, is public, has a README.md at its root and that file has content.
- Create the repository. Click the plus icon, choose New repository, type your exact username, select Public and tick Add README, then create it.
- Edit the README. Open the repository and click Edit README. GitHub pre-fills a template you can replace. GitHub's guide has the details.
- Write four short parts: who you are in one line, what you are learning or building, two or three links to your best projects, and how to reach you.
- Pin up to six repositories. Click Customize your pins on your profile. You can pin repositories you own or contributed to in the last year, not forks you do not own.
- Decide on private contributions. In Contribution settings you can show them as anonymous daily counts.
- Optionally automate a section. Simon Willison's profile refreshes recent releases and blog posts with a scheduled GitHub Action, so it never goes stale.
Do not claim features GitHub does not document. Stats cards and visitor counters are third-party tools, not GitHub features, and GitHub has no official README template gallery. See the Masai guide to creating a GitHub profile README.
Profile README examples to read
| Repository | Why it works |
|---|---|
| simonw/simonw | Self-updating through a scheduled GitHub Action, so it always shows current releases, posts and notes |
| anuraghazra/anuraghazra | India-based. A banner, a one-line identity, three about-me bullets, tech icons and cards for top projects, ending with a way to ask questions |
| anmol098/anmol098 | India-based. Publishes coding stats with a daily Action and has a clear contact link |
| DenverCoder1/DenverCoder1 | A centred header, a compact row of social icons and workflows that refresh activity automatically |
| MartinHeinz/MartinHeinz | Tidy sections for tools and writing, with an Action listing the latest articles |
| karpathy/karpathy | The minimalist counter-example: one line, with the pinned projects carrying the message |
What reviewers actually look at
- A hiring-marketplace team says startup hiring managers look for a concise bio, about four polished pins, READMEs with the problem, setup and a demo, small commits with clear messages and pull-request discussions. That is practitioner opinion, not survey data.
- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting says published code is a strong signal at the top of the funnel but should not be relied on too heavily, and a sparse profile should not count against a candidate.
- A 2013 study (Marlow, Dabbish and Herbsleb) of 18 GitHub users, mostly project owners judging contributors, found impressions came from activity, commit frequency, projects owned versus forked and time on the site.
- A Stack Overflow hiring expert has advised reading forks with caution, because some people fork many repositories to pad a profile.
- Context: GitHub's Octoverse 2025 counts 21.9 million developers in India, second only to the United States, so many profiles compete. Specific, finished projects stand out.
A 30-day plan
- Week 1: create the profile README and enable two-factor authentication. Claim the GitHub Student Developer Pack if you are a student.
- Week 2: pick your two best projects. Add a README with the problem, a screenshot or live link, setup steps and a known limit.
- Week 3: deploy one of them and add the link. Commit small changes with clear messages.
- Week 4: contribute to one open-source project, even with a documentation fix, and pin your best repositories.
Need project ideas? See the Python projects, software projects and projects with source code.
Common mistakes
- Pinning tutorial clones with no changes.
- Empty or abandoned repositories with no README.
- Committing secrets or API keys, which stay in Git history.
- A README that is only badges and no explanation.
- Chasing a green graph with meaningless commits instead of real work.
Frequently asked questions
Who has the best GitHub profile?
There is no single best. For learning, Simon Willison's self-updating README, Sindre Sorhus's consistent package layout and Linus Torvalds's work-first profile each teach something different.
How do I make a good GitHub profile?
Create a repository named after your username with a short README, pin up to six well-documented projects, commit regularly and take part in other projects through pull requests.
What is a GitHub profile README?
A special README.md in a public repository named exactly like your username. GitHub shows it at the top of your profile.
Do recruiters look at GitHub?
Some do, but we found no reliable survey showing how many or what they weigh. Treat it as a way to show real work, not a requirement.
Are there good Indian GitHub profiles to follow?
Yes: anuraghazra, s0md3v, amitshekhariitbhu, kovidgoyal and arpitbbhayani are active and each shows a different habit worth copying.
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