# GitHub badges

> Embeddable inspect.software badges — a live health signal for any inspected repository, updated automatically after every scan. Markdown and HTML snippets.


Every repository in the public record carries an embeddable **badge**: a
small SVG showing the current health index and
[rating band](/wiki/scoring-bands), linking back to the full report. The
badge is the record made visible where decisions happen — in the README,
next to the installation instructions.

## Embedding a badge

Each report page provides copy-ready snippets for its repository. The
pattern:

```markdown
[![inspect.software](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/inspect-software/badges/main/v1/O/OWNER/REPO.svg)](https://inspect.software/software/OWNER/REPO)
```

```html
<a href="https://inspect.software/software/OWNER/REPO">
  <img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/inspect-software/badges/main/v1/O/OWNER/REPO.svg"
       alt="inspect.software health badge for OWNER/REPO" />
</a>
```

Replace `OWNER/REPO` with the repository's full name, and `O` with the first
character of the owner name in lowercase — badges are filed under that
character so no single directory in the repository grows unbrowsable. Copying
the exact snippets from the repository's report page in the
[public record](/#record) avoids getting it wrong.

## How badges behave

- **Always current.** The badge reflects the latest published inspection and
  updates automatically after every scan — no re-embedding needed.
- **Served from GitHub.** Badge images are published to the public
  [inspect-software/badges](https://github.com/inspect-software/badges)
  repository and delivered by GitHub's own content network. A README carrying
  a badge does not depend on this site being reachable.
- **Versioned path.** The `/v1/` path segment is stable; any future change to
  badge semantics arrives as a new version, never as a silent change.
- **Band-colored.** The badge carries the color of the repository's current
  band, from *excellent* green to *critical* red.
- **Never broken.** A repository not yet in the record serves a neutral
  badge rather than a broken image.

## What a badge asserts

A badge asserts exactly what the report behind it asserts: measured,
publicly visible practice under a
[versioned methodology](/methodology) — and nothing more. It is a signal for
review, not a warranty of quality or security
(see [signals, not warranties](/wiki/signals-not-warranties)). The linked
report always shows the full category profile, every metric's components,
and the raw data.

## Getting a badge

1. Submit the repository on the [home page](/) (GitHub sign-in required).
2. High public-value repositories are inspected free; others follow the
   [certification route](/pricing).
3. Once the report is published, copy the badge snippets from the report
   page.