Vitae is a Jekyll-powered template for creating a personal resume or curriculum vitae homepage, designed to be hosted for free on GitHub Pages.
What is Vitae?
Vitae is a static site template built with Jekyll 3.9.0 and Ruby 2.6.3 that turns a YAML configuration file into a personal resume webpage. It is based on the resume design by João Moreno and is maintained by the jekyllt organization on GitHub. The template uses the Skeleton CSS boilerplate for its layout, includes a profile picture from Pexels, and is released under the MIT License.
The template's input is a _config.yml file where you set your name, bio, and contact details; its output is a fully static HTML site that can be served from GitHub Pages, Netlify, or any Jekyll-compatible host.
Key Features
- Jekyll static generation — Built for Jekyll 3.9.0 and Ruby 2.6.3, producing a fast static site with no database or server-side processing.
- Skeleton CSS styling — Uses the lightweight Skeleton CSS framework for responsive, minimal design.
- GitHub Actions workflow — A ready-made jekyll_build.yml workflow automatically builds the site and pushes the output to the gh-pages branch.
- Travis CI support — The .travis.yml file supports building with Travis CI and pushing HTML to gh-pages, using jekyll-travis helpers.
- Netlify deployment — The static output can be deployed to Netlify for CDN-backed delivery, with a free starter plan available.
- Configurable via one file — Personal data lives in _config.yml, so updating resume details does not require touching HTML.
- MIT License — The theme is free to use, modify, and distribute, with no attribution required.
Who is it for?
- Job seekers — Create a clean online resume that looks professional without setting up a custom backend.
- Developers — Publish a personal homepage or portfolio on GitHub Pages using a template your peers can fork and customize.
- Academics — Present your CV, publications, and research experience as a static site that is easy to maintain.
What can you do with Vitae?
- Host a personal resume for free — Clone the repository, edit _config.yml, and push to a GitHub repository to publish on GitHub Pages at no cost.
- Deploy via GitHub Actions — Let the included workflow rebuild the site automatically every time you push changes, so the live page stays in sync.
- Move to another Jekyll-compatible host — Build locally with bundle exec jekyll serve and upload the _site output to Netlify or any static host.
How does Vitae work?
To use Vitae, clone the master branch of the repository and run bundle exec jekyll serve to preview locally. When you are ready to publish, you can either push the generated _site folder to a gh-pages branch or configure GitHub Actions to build and deploy for you. The workflow file .github/workflows/jekyll_build.yml automates the push to gh-pages.
Pricing
Vitae is completely free and open source under the MIT License. It is designed for free hosting on GitHub Pages, and Netlify offers a free starter tier for deploying the generated static site.
FAQ
Is Vitae free to use?
Yes, Vitae is released under the MIT License, so you can use, modify, and redistribute it without paying a fee. Hosting on GitHub Pages is also free for public repositories.
How do I deploy Vitae to GitHub Pages?
You can either build locally and push the _site folder to a gh-pages branch, or use the included GitHub Actions workflow to build automatically and push the generated HTML to gh-pages. The workflow file is .github/workflows/jekyll_build.yml.
Does Vitae require a database?
No, Vitae is a static site generated by Jekyll. All data comes from _config.yml, and the output is plain HTML, CSS, and images, so there is no database or server-side code involved.
Can I host Vitae on Netlify?
Yes, the static output can be deployed to Netlify or other Jekyll-compatible hosts. Netlify supports building the Jekyll site from the GitHub repository and has a free starter plan.
