Mako
A super-fast templating language that borrows the best ideas from the existing templating languages.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. Mako is production-stable, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and carries minimal install friction. It's a good fit if you need Python-native templating with inheritance and performance, especially in projects already using Python for logic. The MIT license imposes no restrictions. Consider it if you prefer embedding Python directly over learning a separate template syntax.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (MarkupSafe).
- Active maintenance with a release 9 days ago and recent commits; supports Python 3.10 through 3.15 and PyPy.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT-licensed (permissive), allowing both commercial and non-commercial use without restriction.
last release 2026-08-05 (9 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-11 · 450 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 201,667,326 downloads/mo, #203 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install mako
from mako.template import Template
template = Template("Hello ${name}!")
print(template.render(name="World"))- Whether the package's performance claims ("super-fast", "maximum performance") hold under typical production workloads compared to alternatives.
What it is and what it does
Mako is a template engine that embeds Python directly into template syntax, compiling templates to Python modules for execution. It borrows design patterns from Django templates, Cheetah, and other systems, offering layout inheritance, custom function definitions, and full access to Python expressions and logic within templates. The core idea is to avoid reinventing template syntax—instead, Mako lets you write Python where you need it, compiled once into fast bytecode.
The package is production-stable (Development Status 5) and widely used in web frameworks and content generation. Its single runtime dependency is MarkupSafe, and it supports current Python versions (3.10–3.15) on both CPython and PyPy. The learning curve is shallow for Python developers since the template syntax is mostly Python itself, and the compiled-module approach eliminates interpretation overhead at render time.
Use it for
- Render dynamic HTML pages in web applications where you want Python logic directly in templates without a separate DSL.
- Generate configuration files, SQL queries, or code from templates using embedded Python expressions and control flow.
- Build email templates with complex conditional logic and data transformations before sending.
- Create reusable template hierarchies for multi-page sites using inheritance and component definitions.
- Integrate templating into build pipelines or documentation generators where Python-native templating is preferred.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
Mako is production-stable, actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and carries minimal install friction. It's a good fit if you need Python-native templating with inheritance and performance, especially in projects already using Python for logic. The MIT license imposes no restrictions. Consider it if you prefer embedding Python directly over learning a separate template syntax.
Install
mako on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with a single pure-Python dependency (MarkupSafe). Active maintenance with a release 9 days ago and recent commits; supports Python 3.10 through 3.15 and PyPy.
Requires Python 3.10 or later.
License in practice
MIT-licensed (permissive), allowing both commercial and non-commercial use without restriction.
Quickstart
pip install mako
from mako.template import Template
template = Template("Hello ${name}!")
print(template.render(name="World"))Verify before relying
- Whether the package's performance claims ("super-fast", "maximum performance") hold under typical production workloads compared to alternatives.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packageMarkupSafe |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 9 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 201,667,326 / month, #203 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 :: Web EnvironmentIntended 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 :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.15Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Internet :: WWW/HTTP :: Dynamic Content |
Evidence: mako-1.4.1-py3-none-any.whl
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See also Plim · pyramid-mako · ct3 · Cheetah3 · Tempita · html5tagger · empy · htmlBuilder · izulu