ansi2txt
ansi to plain text converter
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need straightforward ANSI-to-plain-text conversion and can tolerate an unmaintained package. The zero-dependency design and Production/Stable status make it low-risk for simple use cases. However, verify the dual-license terms apply to your project, and consider whether you need active maintenance or bug fixes for your use case.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python >=3.7,<4.0 per package metadata
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies.
- Package is marked abandoned with no activity since its latest release, though it was declared Production/Stable.
License · maintenance · safety
(unclear) — Dual-licensed under AGPLv3 and MIT, but license_treatment is marked unclear in the metadata. Verify which license applies to your use case before integrating.
last release 2023-02-23 (1268 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 363,989 downloads/mo, #7,212 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install ansi2txt
import ansi2txt
# Convert ANSI-coded string to plain text
plain = ansi2txt.convert(colored_string)- Whether the dual AGPLv3/MIT licensing is truly dual-choice or requires compliance with both
- Whether the package handles all ANSI escape sequence types or only a subset
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.11 despite requires_python allowing up to 4.0
What it is and what it does
ansi2txt is a Python port of the original C-based ansi2txt utility that strips ANSI escape sequences from text. It takes input containing terminal color codes and formatting directives and outputs the same text with all styling removed, leaving only the plain content. This is useful when you need to process or store output from colored terminal applications without the escape sequences.
The package has no external runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel. It was ported from a C codebase specifically to avoid compilation and binary distribution overhead. However, the project is no longer maintained—the last release was in February 2023 with no updates since.
Use it for
- Strip color codes from log files before archiving or searching them
- Clean up terminal output captured from colored CLI tools for plain-text processing
- Convert colored build or test output to plain text for storage in databases or logs
- Prepare colored command output for regex matching or text analysis
- Remove ANSI sequences from captured terminal sessions for readability
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need straightforward ANSI-to-plain-text conversion and can tolerate an unmaintained package.
The zero-dependency design and Production/Stable status make it low-risk for simple use cases. However, verify the dual-license terms apply to your project, and consider whether you need active maintenance or bug fixes for your use case.
Install
ansi2txt on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies. Package is marked abandoned with no activity since its latest release, though it was declared Production/Stable.
Requires Python >=3.7,<4.0 per package metadata
License in practice
Dual-licensed under AGPLv3 and MIT, but license_treatment is marked unclear in the metadata. Verify which license applies to your use case before integrating.
Quickstart
pip install ansi2txt
import ansi2txt
# Convert ANSI-coded string to plain text
plain = ansi2txt.convert(colored_string)Verify before relying
- Whether the dual AGPLv3/MIT licensing is truly dual-choice or requires compliance with both
- Whether the package handles all ANSI escape sequence types or only a subset
- Current compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.11 despite requires_python allowing up to 4.0
Package facts
| License | Not declared unclear |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.7,<4.0 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,268 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 363,989 / month, #7,212 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: ConsoleLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU Affero General Public License v3License :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3 :: OnlyProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: TerminalsTopic :: Text ProcessingTopic :: Text Processing :: FiltersTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: ansi2txt-0.2.0-py3-none-any.whl
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