---
id: cssmin
version: "0.2.0"
license: UNKNOWN
license_treatment: unclear
maintenance: abandoned
---

# cssmin — A Python port of the YUI CSS compression algorithm.

License: unclear · Maintenance: abandoned · Downloads: 154.0K/mo

## What it is and what it does

cssmin is a Python port of the YUI CSS Compressor that reduces CSS file size by stripping whitespace and unnecessary characters. It works both as a command-line utility (piping CSS through `cssmin`) and as a Python library (calling `cssmin.cssmin()` on a CSS string). The package has no runtime dependencies.

However, the package is abandoned: the latest release is from October 2013, and the repository shows no commits since December 2022. This means it receives no maintenance, bug fixes, or updates for modern CSS features or Python versions. Using it in new projects carries risk of incompatibility and unaddressed security or correctness issues.

Use it for:

- Build scripts that need to minify CSS as part of a legacy project still using this specific tool
- Offline CSS compression when modern build tools are unavailable or undesirable
- Batch processing CSS files from the command line in environments where the tool is already installed

## Worth the install?

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

Compresses CSS files by removing unnecessary characters while preserving functionality, available as both a command-line tool and Python library.

No. The package is abandoned (last release 2013, no maintenance since 2022), has an unclear license, and high install friction. Modern CSS minifiers (integrated into webpack, esbuild, PostCSS, or other active build tools) are better maintained, faster, and handle contemporary CSS features. Install only if you are maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.

## Install

pip install cssmin
uv add cssmin
poetry add cssmin

## Installing cssmin

Before you install: High install friction due to source-only distribution. Package is abandoned—last release October 2013, no commits since December 2022—making it unmaintained and unsuitable for new projects.

License in practice: License is marked UNKNOWN with no SPDX identifier, creating legal ambiguity about permitted use and redistribution.

Quickstart:

pip install cssmin

import cssmin
output = cssmin.cssmin(open('input.css').read())
print(output)

No explicit Python version requirement specified; compatibility with modern Python versions is unverified.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package works correctly with Python 3.x versions
- Whether the YUI CSS Compressor algorithm it ports remains adequate for modern CSS
- What the actual license is (marked UNKNOWN in metadata)

## Package facts

- License: UNKNOWN (unclear)
- Python support: unspecified
- Install friction: high
- Maintenance: abandoned
- Downloads: 154.0K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

css minification, css compression, minimize css files, css minifier tool, reduce css size, css optimizer, strip css whitespace, css-minification, abandoned

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/cssmin) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/cssmin/)