coloredlogs
Colored terminal output for Python's logging module
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, but with caution. The package is stable and does one thing well—add colors to logging—with minimal dependencies and no security issues. However, it is abandoned and receives no maintenance, so it will not adapt to future Python changes or platform updates. Use it for non-critical logging in projects where you can tolerate stale code, or consider an actively maintained alternative if long-term compatibility is essential.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (humanfriendly).
- However, the package is abandoned—last release was 1890 days ago and maintenance status is inactive, so no updates or security patches should be expected.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2021-06-11 (1890 days)
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 39,574,208 downloads/mo, #693 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install coloredlogs
import coloredlogs, logging
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
coloredlogs.install(level='DEBUG', logger=logger)
logger.info('colored message')- Whether the package still works reliably on modern Python versions given its abandoned status.
- Whether Windows 10+ ANSI support or colorama fallback still functions as documented on current systems.
- Whether the single dependency humanfriendly has itself received updates that may affect compatibility.
What it is and what it does
coloredlogs wraps Python's standard logging.Formatter to render log messages in color on the terminal using ANSI escape sequences. It inherits from logging.Formatter and works on UNIX terminals out of the box; on Windows it attempts native ANSI support and falls back to colorama if installed. The package provides a simple install() function that registers a colored handler on a logger, and supports custom log formats including hostname, username, and program name fields.
The package is marked Production/Stable but has been abandoned for 1890 days with no recent maintenance. It depends only on humanfriendly at runtime and has no known security vulnerabilities. It is widely used and works across Python 2.7 and 3.5+, though relying on an unmaintained package for core logging infrastructure carries inherent risk.
Use it for
- Add color-coded severity levels to CLI tool output for easier log scanning and visual distinction.
- Enhance readability of long-running server logs by visually distinguishing different message types in real time.
- Format cron job output with colors and convert to HTML for email delivery using the ColoredCronMailer context manager.
- Customize log timestamps and fields with color styling for multi-host monitoring and debugging.
- Quickly enable colored logging across an entire application by calling install() once on the root logger.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, but with caution.
The package is stable and does one thing well—add colors to logging—with minimal dependencies and no security issues. However, it is abandoned and receives no maintenance, so it will not adapt to future Python changes or platform updates. Use it for non-critical logging in projects where you can tolerate stale code, or consider an actively maintained alternative if long-term compatibility is essential.
Install
coloredlogs on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single runtime dependency (humanfriendly). However, the package is abandoned—last release was 1890 days ago and maintenance status is inactive, so no updates or security patches should be expected.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install coloredlogs
import coloredlogs, logging
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
coloredlogs.install(level='DEBUG', logger=logger)
logger.info('colored message')Verify before relying
- Whether the package still works reliably on modern Python versions given its abandoned status.
- Whether Windows 10+ ANSI support or colorama fallback still functions as documented on current systems.
- Whether the single dependency humanfriendly has itself received updates that may affect compatibility.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=2.7, !=3.0.*, !=3.1.*, !=3.2.*, !=3.3.*, !=3.4.* |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagehumanfriendly |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,890 days since the last release |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 39,574,208 / month, #693 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 :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: MacOSOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIXOperating System :: UnixProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 2Programming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: CommunicationsTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Human Machine InterfacesTopic :: Software DevelopmentTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python ModulesTopic :: Software Development :: User InterfacesTopic :: SystemTopic :: System :: Console FontsTopic :: System :: LoggingTopic :: System :: ShellsTopic :: System :: System ShellsTopic :: System :: Systems AdministrationTopic :: TerminalsTopic :: Utilities |
Evidence: coloredlogs-15.0.1-py2.py3-none-any.whl
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See also colorlog · colored · python-printr · logzero · termcolor · colorclass · ansimarkup · verboselogs · ansicolors · log-symbols