colored
Simple python library for color and formatting to terminal
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Colored is a stable, permissively licensed library with zero dependencies, low install friction, and active maintenance. It solves a common terminal formatting need with a simple API. Install it if you need to add color to CLI output; skip it only if your application has no terminal component or already uses a heavier framework that bundles terminal styling.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.9 or later.
- Low install friction with no runtime dependencies; marked active maintenance as of 139 days since last release.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-03-28 (139 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 1,385,739 downloads/mo, #3,973 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install colored
from colored import Fore, Back, Style
print(f'{Fore.white}{Back.green}Colored is Awesome!!!{Style.reset}')- Actual RGB color support breadth across different terminal emulators beyond Xterm, Konsole, iTerm, and libvte-based terminals.
- Whether the library handles color fallback gracefully on terminals that do not support 256-color or RGB modes.
What it is and what it does
Colored is a Python library that generates ANSI/VT100 escape sequences to add color and text formatting to terminal output. It exposes color names and codes through simple objects like Fore (foreground), Back (background), and Style (text effects), making it straightforward to colorize printed text without manually constructing escape sequences.
The library supports three color modes: named colors (e.g., red, green), 256-color terminal palettes, and modern 24-bit RGB colors. It works across Windows, Linux, and most terminal emulators that recognize ANSI escape sequences, including Xterm, KDE Konsole, iTerm, and GNOME Terminal. With no runtime dependencies and Python 3.9+ as its only requirement, it is lightweight and easy to integrate into terminal-based applications.
Use it for
- Colorize log output in CLI tools to highlight errors, warnings, and info messages by severity level.
- Build interactive terminal applications with colored prompts, status messages, and formatted tables.
- Add visual distinction to test output or build system reports for easier scanning.
- Create colored help text and usage documentation in command-line interfaces.
- Highlight syntax or structure in terminal-based data viewers or debugging utilities.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Colored is a stable, permissively licensed library with zero dependencies, low install friction, and active maintenance. It solves a common terminal formatting need with a simple API. Install it if you need to add color to CLI output; skip it only if your application has no terminal component or already uses a heavier framework that bundles terminal styling.
Install
colored on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with no runtime dependencies; marked active maintenance as of 139 days since last release.
Requires Python 3.9 or later.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install colored
from colored import Fore, Back, Style
print(f'{Fore.white}{Back.green}Colored is Awesome!!!{Style.reset}')Verify before relying
- Actual RGB color support breadth across different terminal emulators beyond Xterm, Konsole, iTerm, and libvte-based terminals.
- Whether the library handles color fallback gracefully on terminals that do not support 256-color or RGB modes.
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 139 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 1,385,739 / month, #3,973 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 :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: Microsoft :: Windows :: Windows 10Operating System :: OS IndependentOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxOperating System :: POSIX :: OtherProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Topic :: TerminalsTyping :: Typed |
Evidence: colored-2.3.2-py3-none-any.whl
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