Shields.io is a free service that generates customizable SVG badges for your README files, documentation, or websites. These badges dynamically display information like build status, version numbers, license types, or any custom label and message. The service works by constructing a URL with your desired parameters (label, message, color, style, logo, etc.) and returns an SVG image that you can embed anywhere. No account or API key is required — simply construct the URL and use it in an <img> tag or Markdown image syntax.

To add a badge to your GitHub README.md file, use the Markdown format:
![description](badge-url)

For a clickable badge that links somewhere, use:
[![description](badge-url)](link-url)

Simply copy the Markdown code generated by this tool, paste it into your README.md, and the badge will render automatically when GitHub displays your repository. Make sure the badge URL starts with https://img.shields.io/badge/.

Shields.io offers five distinct styles:
Flat — Clean, minimal design with slightly rounded corners. Best for most READMEs.
Flat Square — Similar to flat but with perfectly square corners. Great for a more technical look.
Plastic — Has a subtle gradient and shadow effect, giving a slightly 3D appearance.
For the Badge — Larger, bolder badges with extra padding. Ideal for hero sections or prominent displays on websites and documentation.
Social — Designed specifically for social media-style badges (e.g., follower counts, stars). Has a unique rounded-pill shape.

For GitHub READMEs, Flat and Flat Square are the most popular choices due to their clean, professional appearance.

Yes! Shields.io supports any six-character hexadecimal color code (without the # symbol) for both the message color and label color. For example, use ff69b4 for hot pink or 6366f1 for indigo. You can also use three-character shorthand like 9cf for light blue. Simply type your desired hex code into the custom color input field. Additionally, Shields.io supports named CSS colors like tomato, steelblue, or mediumseagreen. The preset color swatches include the most commonly used Shields.io named colors for quick access.

Shields.io integrates with Simple Icons, a library of over 3,000 brand icons. To add a logo, use the ?logo= parameter with the icon slug (e.g., ?logo=github, ?logo=npm, ?logo=python). You can also customize the logo's color using the &logoColor= parameter (e.g., &logoColor=white or &logoColor=F7DF1E). Our tool provides a searchable datalist with popular logos, but you can type any Simple Icons slug directly. Visit simpleicons.org to browse all available icons.

Shields.io uses a specific URL encoding scheme for the label and message parts of the badge URL:
• Dashes (-) must be escaped as -- (double dash)
• Underscores (_) must be escaped as __ (double underscore)
• Spaces are automatically converted to underscores (_)
• Forward slashes (/) and other special characters should be percent-encoded

This tool automatically handles all necessary escaping, so you don't need to worry about it. Just type your label and message naturally, and we'll generate the correct URL.

Yes, Shields.io is completely free and open-source. There are no API keys, no authentication, and no paid tiers. The service is sustained by community donations and sponsorships. While there are no strict rate limits for normal usage, excessive automated requests may be throttled. For most users adding badges to README files or documentation, you'll never encounter any limits. Badges are served via a global CDN, ensuring fast load times worldwide. The service handles billions of requests monthly and is highly reliable.

Absolutely! Shields.io badges work anywhere that supports rendering images from URLs. Common platforms include:
• GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket — README files, wikis, issues
• Personal websites & portfolios — Embed via HTML <img> tags
• Documentation sites — MkDocs, Docusaurus, VuePress, GitBook, etc.
• Notion, Confluence, Obsidian — Anywhere Markdown images are supported
• npm, PyPI, Docker Hub — Package registry pages

Since badges are just SVG images served over HTTPS, they work universally across any platform that accepts external image URLs.

Common reasons for badge display issues:
1. Special characters not escaped: If your label or message contains dashes or underscores, they need to be properly escaped. Use this tool to auto-generate the correct URL.
2. Invalid color codes: Ensure hex colors don't include the # symbol. Use ff69b4 not #ff69b4.
3. Incorrect logo slug: Logo names are case-sensitive and must match the Simple Icons slug exactly. Check simpleicons.org for correct names.
4. Network restrictions: Some corporate networks block external image hosts. Ensure img.shields.io is accessible.
5. Ad blockers: Occasionally, ad blockers may interfere with badge rendering. Try disabling your ad blocker temporarily to test.

Static badges (like those generated by this tool) display fixed text that you define — e.g., "build | passing" or "license | MIT". The information never changes unless you manually update the URL. These use the /badge/ endpoint.

Dynamic badges fetch live data from external sources and update automatically. Examples include:
• GitHub stars count: /github/stars/:user/:repo
• npm version: /npm/v/:package
• CI build status: /github/actions/workflow/status/:user/:repo/:workflow
• Code coverage percentage: /codecov/c/:user/:repo

Dynamic badges require different URL patterns and can display real-time data from APIs, package registries, and CI/CD services. Visit shields.io to explore hundreds of dynamic badge integrations.