Skip to content
Get started

Software Developer and Engineer Email Signature Templates

As a software developer or engineer, your email signature should carry your name, your role and stack or team, your company, and GitHub if your work is public. Keep it minimal, because developer email often lands in mailing lists, code review threads, and plain-text clients where heavy signatures break.

Below are four templates made for developers and engineers: a terminal window, a code snippet, a GitHub-style README with badges, and a dark editor card. Each has its own copy-paste HTML, and under them is the same signature in plain text for mailing lists. All four are text and links only, with no images to block or break, so each renders live on this page and survives a plain-text client.

Create your signatureBrowse the templates

Copy-paste HTML · Works in Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail · No sign-up needed

Copy-paste HTML

Four templates, with copy-paste HTML

These are real HTML tables. Copy one and paste it straight into Gmail, Outlook, or Apple Mail, and it renders reliably in all three. They’re free to use, with no sign-up and no attribution required.

Each one is text and links only, as the checklist below advises for this role: no photo, logo or social icons, since icons are images too. A photo or logo can still be added in the Editor.

Terminal

Creative
Use this template
View HTML source
<!-- esigna editable signature -->
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="width:460px;border-collapse:collapse;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4;color:#1f2328;"><tr><td valign="top" width="460" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="border-collapse:separate;"><tr><td bgcolor="#e6e8eb" style="background-color:#e6e8eb;border-radius:10px;padding:0 4px 4px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%;"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;vertical-align:middle;padding:10px 0 10px 10px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:7px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:separate;"><tr><td bgcolor="#ff5f57" style="background-color:#ff5f57;border-radius:5px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tr><td valign="top" width="10" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="10"><tr><td style="font-size:0;line-height:0;width:10px;height:10px;">&nbsp;</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;vertical-align:middle;padding-right:7px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:separate;"><tr><td bgcolor="#febc2e" style="background-color:#febc2e;border-radius:5px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tr><td valign="top" width="10" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="10"><tr><td style="font-size:0;line-height:0;width:10px;height:10px;">&nbsp;</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;vertical-align:middle;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:separate;"><tr><td bgcolor="#28c840" style="background-color:#28c840;border-radius:5px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tr><td valign="top" width="10" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="10"><tr><td style="font-size:0;line-height:0;width:10px;height:10px;">&nbsp;</td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="452" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="452" style="border-collapse:separate;min-width:100%;"><tr><td bgcolor="#ffffff" style="background-color:#ffffff;border-radius:7px;padding:14px 18px 16px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-bottom:12px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:19px;vertical-align:middle;padding-bottom:1px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:700;color:#1a7f37;">➜</span><span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:700;color:#0550ae;">~</span><span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#1f2328;">whoami</span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:19px;line-height:26px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:700;padding-bottom:1px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#1f2328;">Priya Nandakumar</span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:19px;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#59636e;">Senior Backend Engineer</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:400;color:#59636e;">&nbsp;@ Northwind Systems</span></span></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-bottom:12px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:19px;vertical-align:middle;padding-bottom:1px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#1f2328;"><a href="mailto:priya@northwind.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#1f2328;">priya@northwind.dev</a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:19px;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#1a7f37;"><a href="https://pnandakumar.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#1a7f37;">pnandakumar.dev</a></span><span style="font-size:16px;">&emsp;</span><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle;font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#1a7f37;"><a href="https://github.com/pnandakumar" style="text-decoration:none;color:#1a7f37;">github.com/pnandakumar</a></span></span></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:19px;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:700;color:#1a7f37;">➜</span><span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:700;color:#0550ae;">~</span><span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#1a7f37;">▍</span></span></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

Snippet

Creative
Use this template
View HTML source
<!-- esigna editable signature -->
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440" style="width:440px;border-collapse:collapse;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4;color:#1f2328;"><tr><td valign="top" width="440" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="440" style="width:440px;"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:22px;line-height:28px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:700;padding-bottom:12px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#1f2328;">Priya Nandakumar</span></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:separate;min-width:100%;"><tr><td bgcolor="#f6f8fa" style="background-color:#f6f8fa;border-radius:8px;padding:14px 18px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#cf222e;">const</span><span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#8250df;">contact</span><span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#1f2328;">= {</span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;padding-left:16px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#0550ae;">role:</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#116329;">&nbsp;&quot;Senior Backend Engineer&quot;,</span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;padding-left:16px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#0550ae;">company:</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#116329;">&nbsp;&quot;Northwind Systems&quot;,</span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;padding-left:16px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#0550ae;">email:</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#116329;"><a href="mailto:priya@northwind.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#116329;">&nbsp;&quot;priya@northwind.dev&quot;,</a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;padding-left:16px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#0550ae;">site:</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#116329;"><a href="https://pnandakumar.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#116329;">&nbsp;&quot;pnandakumar.dev&quot;,</a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:20px;vertical-align:middle;padding-left:16px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#0550ae;">github:</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#116329;"><a href="https://github.com/pnandakumar" style="text-decoration:none;color:#116329;">&nbsp;&quot;github.com/pnandakumar&quot;,</a></span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:12px;line-height:20px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#1f2328;">};</span></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

Readme

Creative
Use this template
View HTML source
<!-- esigna editable signature -->
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="width:460px;border-collapse:collapse;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4;color:#1f2328;"><tr><td valign="top" width="460" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="width:460px;"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:26px;line-height:32px;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-weight:600;padding-bottom:10px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#1f2328;">Priya Nandakumar</span></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="460" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-bottom:10px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="width:460px;border-top:1px solid #d1d9e0;"><tr><td style="font-size:0;line-height:0;">&nbsp;</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:21px;vertical-align:middle;padding-bottom:10px;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:14px;line-height:21px;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;color:#1f2328;">Senior Backend Engineer</span><span style="font-size:14px;line-height:21px;font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-weight:400;color:#1f2328;">&nbsp;· Northwind Systems</span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;padding-bottom:6px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#555555" style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#555555;padding:3px 6px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;">email</span></td><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#0969da" style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#0969da;padding:3px 6px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;"><a href="mailto:priya@northwind.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;">priya@northwind.dev</a></span></td></tr></table></span></span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;padding-bottom:6px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#555555" style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#555555;padding:3px 6px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;">website</span></td><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#0969da" style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#0969da;padding:3px 6px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;"><a href="https://pnandakumar.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;">pnandakumar.dev</a></span></td></tr></table></span><span style="font-size:6px;">&emsp;</span><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:bottom;padding-bottom:6px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#555555" style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#555555;padding:3px 6px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;">GitHub</span></td><td valign="middle" bgcolor="#0969da" style="font-size:11px;line-height:14px;font-family:Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;vertical-align:middle;background-color:#0969da;padding:3px 6px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#ffffff;"><a href="https://github.com/pnandakumar" style="text-decoration:none;color:#ffffff;">Follow</a></span></td></tr></table></span></span></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

Commit

Creative
Use this template
View HTML source
<!-- esigna editable signature -->
<table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="width:460px;border-collapse:collapse;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:1.4;color:#e6edf3;"><tr><td valign="top" width="460" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="460" style="border-collapse:separate;"><tr><td bgcolor="#0d1117" style="background-color:#0d1117;border-radius:12px;padding:24px 26px 26px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-collapse:collapse;min-width:100%;"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-bottom:16px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:21px;line-height:27px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-weight:700;padding-bottom:4px;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#e6edf3;">Priya Nandakumar</span></td></tr><tr><td valign="middle" style="font-size:0;line-height:18px;vertical-align:middle;"><span style="display:inline-block;vertical-align:top;line-height:0;"><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:18px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;color:#8b949e;">// Senior Backend Engineer</span><span style="font-size:12px;line-height:18px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-weight:700;color:#3fb950;">&nbsp;@ Northwind Systems</span></span></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" width="408" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-bottom:16px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="408" style="min-width:100%;width:408px;border-top:1px solid #30363d;"><tr><td style="font-size:0;line-height:0;">&nbsp;</td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-bottom:16px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="top" width="214" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-right:18px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="214" style="width:214px;"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#e6edf3;"><a href="mailto:priya@northwind.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#e6edf3;">priya@northwind.dev</a></span></td></tr></table></td><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:12px;line-height:19px;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;"><span style="display:inline-block;color:#3fb950;"><a href="https://pnandakumar.dev" style="text-decoration:none;color:#3fb950;">pnandakumar.dev</a></span></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr><tr><td valign="top" style="font-size:0;line-height:0;padding-top:4px;"><table role="presentation" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse:separate;"><tr><td align="center" valign="middle" width="146" height="34" bgcolor="#3fb950" style="width:146px;height:34px;background-color:#3fb950;border-radius:6px;text-align:center;vertical-align:middle;"><a href="https://github.com/pnandakumar" style="display:block;padding:10px 0;font-family:Consolas, Menlo, Monaco, Courier New, monospace;font-size:12px;line-height:14px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;text-decoration:none;border-radius:6px;">See my GitHub</a></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></td></tr></table>

Plain text

The same signature in plain text

For mailing lists, terminal mail clients and plain text mode, here is Priya's signature as four lines of text. Copy it and put your own details in its place.

4 lines
Priya NandakumarSenior Backend Engineer, Northwind Systemspriya@northwind.dev | pnandakumar.devgithub.com/pnandakumar

  • Leave the separator line to your mail app

    A plain text signature traditionally sits under a line of two hyphens and a space. Thunderbird and Mutt add that line on their own, and so does Gmail unless its setting to remove the line is ticked. The copy leaves it out so it doesn't show twice. In any other mail app, type it yourself above the signature.

  • Keep the space after the two hyphens

    Mail programs find the separator by its exact characters: two hyphens and a space, alone on a line. With the space, Thunderbird shows your signature in grey and leaves it out when someone replies. Without it, the line is just two hyphens.

  • Four lines at most

    The old netiquette rule of thumb, written down in RFC 1855, is no more than four lines. On a mailing list your signature goes to every subscriber with every message, and replies that don't trim it quote it again. Four lines holds your name, role, company and the links people will use.

What to include

What to include in a software developer email signature

Most signatures carry the same basic fields, so what matters is the order and what you leave out. These are the decisions specific to this role.

  1. Text first, for mailing lists and code review

    Developer email lands in code review threads, issue trackers, and mailing lists that strip HTML or quote your signature on every reply. A signature built from text and links survives all of that and still reads as a few short lines. Images, banners and icon rows are what turn into a wall of broken markup in the exact places your peers read it.

  2. GitHub gets its own link

    For most developers GitHub is the portfolio, so give it its own field rather than spending the website slot on it. That leaves the website slot for a personal site, if you have one worth reading. Only link GitHub if the profile is presentable. A wall of green squares with no pinned repositories doesn't help you.

  3. Role and level, since titles are ambiguous

    "Engineer" covers a very wide range of jobs. "Senior Backend Engineer" or "Platform Engineer, Payments" tells recruiters and colleagues on other teams where you sit, which matters in large organizations where nobody knows every team.

  4. Phone is usually unnecessary

    Most developer communication is asynchronous and internal, routed through Slack or your issue tracker. A phone number in a developer signature often goes unused for years. Leave it out unless you're on call or client-facing.

  5. No tracking pixels or image-heavy blocks

    This audience notices, and some of them will mention it. Remote images also break in the terminal clients and plain-text modes that plenty of developers still use. Text and links only is safer here, and it goes over better.

Examples

Software Developer email signature examples

Here is that advice filled in for six kinds of developer, from a staff engineer at a large company to a new graduate. Each one is four lines or fewer, so it works as plain text or in any of the templates above.

  • Backend engineer at a large company

    Daniel OkaforStaff Backend Engineer, Payments PlatformCorvid Financial

    At a company of thousands, the team after the title tells someone in another office whether Daniel is the right person to ask. The code is private, so there's no GitHub link, and colleagues reach Daniel on chat, so there's no phone.

  • Frontend developer at a startup

    Sofia MarquezSenior Frontend Developer (React, TypeScript)Tandem Healthsofiamarquez.dev | github.com/sofiamarquez

    At a small company the stack says more than a team name would, so two technologies go in parentheses after the title: the two Sofia wants to be asked about. A personal site takes the website slot, since anyone can find the company's site from Sofia's email address.

  • Freelance or contract developer

    Marcus BellIndependent iOS Developer, Bell Softwaremarcusbell.dev | (312) 555-0178github.com/marcusbell

    Clients sign contracts with a business, so the business name sits where an employer's would, and "Independent" says Marcus takes on work. A phone number belongs here, because clients expect to call before they sign.

  • Site reliability engineer

    Kenji WatanabeSenior Site Reliability Engineer, Core InfrastructureFerrous CloudOn call line: (206) 555-0143

    Being on call is the other case where a developer signature needs a phone number. Kenji lists the team's on call line, which rings whoever holds the pager that week, so the signature never needs changing as the rotation turns.

  • Open source maintainer

    Amara NwosuSenior Software Engineer, Ardent LabsMaintainer of Brindle, a job queue for Postgresgithub.com/amaranwosu

    When people write because of a project, the project gets its own line, with a few words on what it does. GitHub is the one link that matters here, since it's where contributors and users go to find Amara's work.

  • New graduate looking for work

    Ethan ParkComputer Science, Lakeshore University, class of 2027Looking for backend roles from June 2027ethanpark.dev | github.com/ethanpark

    With no employer yet, the degree takes the company's line, and the third line answers a recruiter's first question. Projects stand in for work history, so the portfolio and GitHub both get a link. Ethan takes the third line out once an offer is signed.

Install

How to add your signature

Copy the HTML above, then paste it into your email app's signature settings.

  • Gmail

    1. Copy the HTML for the template you want.
    2. In Gmail on the web, open Settings (the gear), then See all settings.
    3. On the General tab, scroll to Signature, choose Create new, name it and choose Create.
    4. Click into the signature box and paste (⌘V or Ctrl+V).
    5. Set it as the default for new emails and replies, then choose Save Changes at the bottom of the page.
    Full Gmail guide

  • Outlook

    1. Copy the HTML for the template you want.
    2. New Outlook and Outlook on the web: Settings → Accounts → Signatures.
    3. Choose Add signature, name it and paste into the box.
    4. Tick the boxes to use it for new messages and for replies and forwards, then Save.
    5. Classic Outlook for Windows: File → Options → Mail → Signatures → New, paste, set the defaults, OK.
    Full Outlook guide

  • Apple Mail

    1. Copy the HTML for the template you want.
    2. In Mail on your Mac, open Mail → Settings → Signatures.
    3. Select your account on the left, then choose + below the middle column and name it.
    4. Untick “Always match my default message font”, then paste into the right-hand column.
    5. Pick it in the Choose Signature menu so new messages include it.
    Full Apple Mail guide

FAQ

Software Developer email signature questions

What should a software developer or engineer put in an email signature?

Name, role with your level or team, company, and GitHub if your work is public. Skip the phone number unless you're on call or client-facing. Keep it to text and links, because developer signatures get quoted in reply chains and mailing lists where images and banners become noise.

Should developers include GitHub in their email signature?

Yes, if the profile is presentable and reasonably current. It's the most useful single link a developer can offer, especially when job-hunting or working in open source. If your account is empty or private, leave it out.

Do I need a phone number in a developer email signature?

Usually not. Most engineering communication is asynchronous and happens in Slack or an issue tracker. Include a number if you're on call, client-facing, or in a contract role where clients expect it. Otherwise you can skip it.

Should I use plain text or HTML for a developer signature?

HTML is fine as long as it degrades cleanly, which the templates here do. They're tables with no background images or web fonts. If you spend a lot of time in mailing lists or a terminal client, the plain-text convention of a short block under a "-- " line is still a respectable choice, and a plain text version of the sample is ready to copy under the templates above.

Should I list my tech stack in my email signature?

Only compressed into the title, like "Senior Backend Engineer (Go, Postgres)." A full list of twelve technologies reads as a résumé and dates quickly. Your role and team are more useful to the people emailing you.

Is it unprofessional to have no email signature as a developer?

Internally, no. Plenty of strong engineers sign off with just a first name. Externally it costs you, since recruiters, open-source contributors, and other teams need to know who you are and where you work. Your name, role and company are a reasonable minimum for anything leaving your organization.

Make it yours

Make one of these your signature.

Swap Priya Nandakumar’s details for your own and put it on every email you send. It’s free.

Create your signatureCopy the HTML instead

Other signature templates

4 templates and advice for each role.