Pygments

Pygments is a syntax highlighting package written in Python.

pygments Permissive license BSD-2-Clause Active ★ 2,198 v2.20.0 released 2026-03-29

Install

pygments on PyPI

pip

pip install pygments

uv

uv add pygments

poetry

poetry add pygments

Package facts

License	BSD-2-Clause (permissive)
Python support	supports the current Python release (>=3.9)
Install friction	low — pure-Python wheel
Runtime dependencies	none
Maintenance	actively maintained — 137 days since the last release
Last repo commit	2026-07-28
First released	2006-10-30
Popularity	one of the 100 most-downloaded packages on PyPI (30-day window, as of 2026-08-13)
Known vulnerabilities	none known (OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-13)

Evidence: pygments-2.20.0-py3-none-any.whl

Keywords: syntax, highlighting

Development Status :: 6 - MatureIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: End Users/DesktopIntended Audience :: System AdministratorsOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming 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 :: 3.9Programming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: CPythonProgramming Language :: Python :: Implementation :: PyPyTopic :: Text Processing :: FiltersTopic :: Utilities

About Pygments

from the package's own PyPI description — quoted content, verbatim

Pygments ~~~~~~~~

Pygments is a syntax highlighting package written in Python.

It is a generic syntax highlighter suitable for use in code hosting, forums, wikis or other applications that need to prettify source code. Highlights are:

a wide range of over 500 languages and other text formats is supported
special attention is paid to details, increasing quality by a fair amount
support for new languages and formats are added easily
a number of output formats, presently HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, all image formats that PIL supports and ANSI sequences
it is usable as a command-line tool and as a library

Read as markdown · JSON record · Source repository · Homepage · Docs

AI interpretation — verify before relying

AI-generated interpretation of the package facts above; every digit, version, license, or vulnerability id it cites is grounded in the facts already shown on this page

Pygments is a syntax highlighter that colorizes source code in over 500 languages and formats, outputting to HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, images, or ANSI sequences for use in code hosting, wikis, forums, or as a command-line tool.

Pygments has zero runtime dependencies and installs as a pure Python wheel with low friction. The project is actively maintained with a recent release (137 days ago) and remains under active development with ongoing commits.

Pygments is licensed under BSD-2-Clause, a permissive open-source license that allows commercial and private use with minimal restrictions beyond attribution and liability disclaimers.

Usage

pip install pygments==2.20.0

from pygments import highlight
from pygments.lexers import PythonLexer
from pygments.formatters import HtmlFormatter

code = 'print("hello")'
result = highlight(code, PythonLexer(), HtmlFormatter())

Requires Python 3.9 or later.

Verdict: Pygments is a mature, actively maintained syntax highlighter with no dependencies, permissive licensing, and zero known vulnerabilities. It is well-suited for any application needing code colorization across a broad range of languages and output formats.

Needs verification

Whether the 500+ language count and all listed output formats (HTML, LaTeX, RTF, SVG, PIL image formats, ANSI) remain current in version 2.20.0
Performance characteristics and memory footprint for large codebases or real-time highlighting scenarios

syntax highlighting pythoncode colorizersource code formatterlanguage syntax highlightercode pretty printerhtml code highlightingansi terminal colors