How do I open a .README file?

Drop a .README file onto Analyser at https://lab.valjdakosta.com/ and it is identified directly in your browser - no upload, no account and no software to install. Open and read programming-language source, build and configuration files as text: C, C++ and their headers, C#, Java, Kotlin, Go, Rust, Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, Scala, Lua, Perl, R, Dart, Groovy and Visual Basic, GPU shaders (GLSL, HLSL), shell scripts (sh, Bash, Zsh, Fish), and the build and tooling files that fill a source repository - CMake, Makefiles, Ninja, Autotools (.in / .ac / .am / .m4), qmake projects, Doxygen configs and the dotfiles that configure Git, Docker, npm, ESLint, Prettier, Cursor and clang-format. Also opens Objective-C++ (.mm / .hmm), more GPU shaders (.fs / .vs / .gs), Boost.Jam and Meson build scripts, Unix manual pages, web stylesheets (Less, Sass/SCSS) and Svelte components, gettext translations (.po / .pot), Apple entitlements and licence/readme text, plus Cython (.pyx), OpenGL shaders (.fsh / .vsh / .geom), Git hook samples, ESLint and Yarn configs and ASP.NET (.aspx) pages. Each opens with a source preview, line count and metadata, entirely in your browser.

Can I open a .README file online for free?

Yes. Analyser is a free online .README identifier that runs entirely in your browser - your .README file never leaves your device, so there is nothing to upload and no software to install. It even works offline once installed.

.README file - what it is and how to identify it online

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Home › Formats › .READMEID

What is a .README file?

README is the introductory text file that explains what a project is, how to build it and how to use it - traditionally the first file you read.

Did you know: The convention of an all-caps README dates back to at least the 1970s, capitalised so it sorts to the top of a directory listing.
Plain README files predate today s README.md - the Markdown version that platforms like GitHub render into a formatted landing page.
A name like gmp.README belongs to a bundled dependency, keeping that library’s own notes separate from the main project’s.
What Analyser reads: Open and read programming-language source, build and configuration files as text: C, C++ and their headers, C#, Java, Kotlin, Go, Rust, Python, Ruby, PHP, Swift, Scala, Lua, Perl, R, Dart, Groovy and Visual Basic, GPU shaders (GLSL, HLSL), shell scripts (sh, Bash, Zsh, Fish), and the build and tooling files that fill a source repository - CMake, Makefiles, Ninja, Autotools (.in / .ac / .am / .m4), qmake projects, Doxygen configs and the dotfiles that configure Git, Docker, npm, ESLint, Prettier, Cursor and clang-format. Also opens Objective-C++ (.mm / .hmm), more GPU shaders (.fs / .vs / .gs), Boost.Jam and Meson build scripts, Unix manual pages, web stylesheets (Less, Sass/SCSS) and Svelte components, gettext translations (.po / .pot), Apple entitlements and licence/readme text, plus Cython (.pyx), OpenGL shaders (.fsh / .vsh / .geom), Git hook samples, ESLint and Yarn configs and ASP.NET (.aspx) pages. Each opens with a source preview, line count and metadata, entirely in your browser.
Depth of analysis: .README is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
Open a .README file: Drag a .README file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
Related formats: .C · .H · .CC · .CPP · .CXX · .HPP · .HH · .HXX · .INO · .MM · .HMM · .CS · .Java · .KT · .KTS · .Go · .RS · .PY and more. See all supported file types.