---
id: sphinx-basic-ng
version: "1.0.0b2"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# sphinx-basic-ng — A modern skeleton for Sphinx themes.

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 2.8M/mo

## What it is and what it does

sphinx-basic-ng is a Sphinx theme base—a starting point for developers building custom documentation themes. Rather than a complete theme, it provides a modernized skeleton with contemporary HTML/CSS structure and Sphinx integration patterns. You install it, set it as your theme in Sphinx's conf.py, and then extend or customize it for your documentation project.

The package depends only on sphinx, keeping installation straightforward. However, maintenance is dormant: the last commit was 2023-10-11 and the latest release was 2023-07-08. This means the skeleton is stable but will not receive updates for new Sphinx features or web standards. It remains useful for projects that need a clean, minimal theme foundation and can tolerate working with a frozen codebase.

Use it for:

- Starting a custom Sphinx theme project with a modern HTML/CSS foundation instead of building from scratch.
- Creating organization-specific documentation themes that inherit from a well-structured skeleton.
- Building documentation sites that need a lightweight, contemporary theme base without heavy dependencies.
- Extending an existing theme with custom branding while keeping the core structure maintainable.

## Worth the install?

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

Provides a modern, minimal Sphinx theme skeleton for building custom documentation themes with contemporary web standards and structure.

Yes, if you are building a custom Sphinx theme and want a modern skeleton to extend. The low install friction and permissive license make it accessible. However, be aware that maintenance is dormant—last commit 2023-10-11—so you should verify compatibility with your Sphinx version and be prepared to maintain customizations yourself if Sphinx evolves significantly.

## Install

pip install sphinx-basic-ng
uv add sphinx-basic-ng
poetry add sphinx-basic-ng

## Installing sphinx-basic-ng

Before you install: Low install friction with a single runtime dependency on sphinx. Maintenance is dormant—last commit was 2023-10-11 and no release in over a year—so expect no active bug fixes or feature updates.

License in practice: MIT license permits free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions, making it suitable for both open-source and commercial projects.

Quickstart:

pip install sphinx-basic-ng

In conf.py:
html_theme = 'basic-ng'

Requires Sphinx to be installed; intended as a theme base for Sphinx documentation projects, not a standalone tool.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the beta version (1.0.0b2) is production-ready or still under active development despite dormant maintenance status.
- How well this theme skeleton integrates with recent Sphinx versions given the maintenance gap.
- Whether custom theme projects built on this skeleton remain compatible with current Sphinx ecosystem changes.

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 2.8M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

sphinx theme base, sphinx theme skeleton, modern sphinx theme, sphinx theme template, sphinx documentation theme, sphinx theme framework, custom sphinx themes, sphinx-theme, documentation-tooling

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