nanocolors

nanocolors delivers exactly what it promises: a tiny, fast alternative to chalk for terminal coloring. The API is straightforward - import the colors you need and wrap your strings. It works reliably in real projects and the performance gains are noticeable in hot paths like CLI output loops.

The developer experience is bare-bones but functional. There's no TypeScript bundled in the package itself, though DefinitelyTyped provides basic types. The API is simple enough that autocomplete shows available colors, but you won't get rich IntelliSense. Error handling is minimal - pass it non-strings and you'll get runtime errors without helpful messages. Documentation is sparse; you'll rely on the README examples and your knowledge of ANSI color names.

For straightforward CLI coloring needs, it's a solid choice that won't bloat your dependencies. Just don't expect the ergonomic niceties of more established libraries. The migration from chalk is trivial for basic usage, though template literal syntax requires adjustment.

Switching to nanocolors from chalk was painless - the API is nearly identical with the familiar chainable style like `red().bold()` or nested style like `red(bold('text'))`. The learning curve is essentially zero if you've used chalk before. Performance gains are noticeable in CLI tools that do heavy terminal output, though for typical use cases the difference is marginal.

The biggest challenge is the minimal documentation. The README shows basic examples, but when you hit edge cases or need to understand color support detection, you're reading source code. Error messages are JavaScript defaults - there's no hand-holding if you pass wrong types. That said, the library is so simple (under 200 lines) that debugging is straightforward. TypeScript definitions are included and accurate.

Community support is limited given the smaller user base. GitHub issues get responses but slowly. Stack Overflow has almost no nanocolors-specific content. For common use cases like coloring CLI output, it's completely straightforward and reliable. The lack of dependencies means no supply chain concerns, which is a real advantage.

Nanocolors is a lightweight alternative to chalk that does exactly what it says on the tin: adds ANSI color codes to terminal output with zero dependencies. From a security standpoint, this is ideal - no transitive dependency risks, minimal attack surface, and the entire codebase is auditable in minutes. The API is straightforward: import color functions and wrap your strings. It handles ANSI color stripping, basic styling (bold, italic, underline), and respects NO_COLOR/FORCE_COLOR environment variables.

In daily use, it's refreshingly simple. No fancy features, no plugin system, no configuration objects - just pure functions that take strings and return colored strings. The lack of dependencies means faster installs and fewer supply chain concerns during security audits. Error handling is non-existent because there's nothing to error on: invalid inputs just get stringified and colored anyway.

The main trade-off is age: last updated in 2021, though for such a focused library this isn't necessarily concerning. The code is stable and the problem space hasn't changed. For security-conscious teams doing CLI tools or logging, the minimal footprint and zero-dependency approach makes this an easy choice over heavier alternatives.