Chameleon
Fast HTML/XML Template Compiler.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Chameleon is a mature, actively maintained template engine with zero runtime dependencies, permissive licensing, and broad Python version support (3.9 and up, plus PyPy 3). It is well-suited for projects requiring compiled, high-performance HTML/XML templating. Install it if you need a self-contained template solution; avoid it only if your project already standardizes on a different templating approach.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later; PyPy 3 is also supported.
- Low friction installation with no runtime dependencies.
- The project is actively maintained with recent releases addressing Python 3.13 compatibility and performance improvements.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Licensed under a permissive BSD-like license, allowing use in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2024-12-31 (591 days) · last repo commit 2026-03-12 · 185 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 358,222 downloads/mo, #7,264 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install Chameleon
from chameleon import PageTemplateLoader
loader = PageTemplateLoader('templates', auto_reload=True)
template = loader['mytemplate.pt']
output = template(name='World')- Whether the package includes built-in support for macros, slots, or inheritance beyond what the description excerpt covers.
- Performance characteristics compared to other template engines in typical web application scenarios.
- Whether the i18n/translation features mentioned in the changelog are production-ready or experimental.
What it is and what it does
Chameleon is a template engine that compiles HTML and XML templates written in the page templates language into optimized Python code. It runs on Python 3.9 and later, including PyPy, and is designed to be embedded in any Python application without external dependencies. The engine parses template markup and generates bytecode-compiled Python functions, making rendering fast and suitable for high-throughput web applications.
The package handles both HTML and XML modes, supports dynamic content interpolation, conditional rendering, looping, variable scoping, and internationalization. Recent versions have focused on startup-time optimization, Python 3.13 compatibility, and removal of slower legacy dependencies in favor of importlib.resources. It is production-stable and has been maintained since 2009.
Use it for
- Render dynamic HTML pages in web frameworks by compiling template files into callable Python functions.
- Generate XML documents or feeds from template definitions with variable substitution and conditional blocks.
- Build server-side templated responses in REST APIs where template compilation overhead should be minimized.
- Internationalize web content by leveraging built-in i18n support for translation context and target language handling.
- Embed templating in Python applications that need fast, compiled template execution without external runtime dependencies.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Chameleon is a mature, actively maintained template engine with zero runtime dependencies, permissive licensing, and broad Python version support (3.9 and up, plus PyPy 3). It is well-suited for projects requiring compiled, high-performance HTML/XML templating. Install it if you need a self-contained template solution; avoid it only if your project already standardizes on a different templating approach.
Install
chameleon on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with no runtime dependencies. The project is actively maintained with recent releases addressing Python 3.13 compatibility and performance improvements.
Requires Python 3.9 or later; PyPy 3 is also supported.
License in practice
Licensed under a permissive BSD-like license, allowing use in both open-source and proprietary projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install Chameleon
from chameleon import PageTemplateLoader
loader = PageTemplateLoader('templates', auto_reload=True)
template = loader['mytemplate.pt']
output = template(name='World')Verify before relying
- Whether the package includes built-in support for macros, slots, or inheritance beyond what the description excerpt covers.
- Performance characteristics compared to other template engines in typical web application scenarios.
- Whether the i18n/translation features mentioned in the changelog are production-ready or experimental.
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.9 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 591 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 358,222 / month, #7,264 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/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPy |
Evidence: Chameleon-4.6.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also z3c.pt · zope.pagetemplate · jinja-cli · zope.tal · zope.tales · meld3 · html5tagger · jinja_partials · yattag