---
id: asciitree
version: "0.3.3"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# asciitree — Draws ASCII trees.

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 976.5K/mo

## What it is and what it does

asciitree is a small utility that converts nested dictionary structures into ASCII tree diagrams suitable for printing in a terminal. It takes a dict-based representation of a tree (where keys are node labels and values are child dicts) and renders it using box-drawing characters and indentation.

The package provides a simple interface: instantiate a layout class like LeftAligned, then call it with your tree dict to get a formatted string. It has no runtime dependencies and is straightforward to integrate into scripts or CLI tools that need to display hierarchical data. However, the project has been dormant since 2016-09-05 with no specified Python version support, making it a legacy tool best suited for maintenance of existing code rather than new projects.

Use it for:

- Display directory or file hierarchies in a CLI tool without external dependencies.
- Render organizational charts or decision trees in terminal-based applications.
- Debug nested data structures by visualizing their tree form during development.
- Generate ASCII tree output for documentation or log files from programmatic data.
- Build simple terminal UIs that show hierarchical relationships in a human-readable format.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Renders tree data structures as formatted ASCII art for display in the terminal, using simple dict-based input to generate box-drawing output.

No, unless you are maintaining legacy code already using it. The package is dormant (last release 2016-09-05), has no specified Python version support, and high install friction. For new projects, consider actively maintained alternatives. The permissive MIT license poses no legal barrier, but the maintenance gap and age make it a poor choice for new development.

## Install

pip install asciitree
uv add asciitree
poetry add asciitree

## Installing asciitree

Before you install: High install friction: the package is dormant (last release 2016-09-05) with no specified Python version support. No runtime dependencies, but age and lack of maintenance signal warrant caution for new projects.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive and imposes minimal restrictions; you may use, modify, and distribute the package freely with attribution.

Quickstart:

from asciitree import LeftAligned
from collections import OrderedDict as OD

tree = {'root': OD([('child', {})])}
tr = LeftAligned()
print(tr(tree))

Python version support is unspecified; compatibility with modern Python versions is not guaranteed.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works reliably on current Python versions, given no specified version support and dormant status since 2016.
- Whether the package handles edge cases (very deep trees, unicode characters, wide terminal widths) as expected.
- Current usability on Python versions released after the last 2016-09-05 release.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 976.5K/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ascii tree visualization, terminal tree drawing, text-based tree output, hierarchical data display, console tree formatter, tree structure printer, ascii art trees, tree-visualization, legacy

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