colorama

Colorama is refreshingly simple and does exactly one thing well: cross-platform ANSI color code handling. From a security perspective, it's nearly ideal - zero external dependencies, no network calls, no file I/O beyond stdout/stderr manipulation, and a tiny codebase that's easy to audit. The library essentially wraps sys.stdout/stderr and translates ANSI codes to Windows API calls when needed, with a pure pass-through on Unix systems.

In daily use, you call `colorama.init()` at startup and then print ANSI codes freely. The API is minimal: Fore, Back, and Style constants that you concatenate into strings. There's no complex state management, no configuration files to secure, and error handling is straightforward - it degrades gracefully if terminal interaction fails. The last release in 2022 isn't concerning given its focused scope and maturity.

The main limitation is what it doesn't do: no input sanitization helpers, no protection against ANSI injection if you're echoing untrusted input. You're responsible for validating any user-supplied strings before colorizing them, as malicious ANSI codes could manipulate terminal state.

Colorama solves one problem exceptionally well: making ANSI color codes work consistently across Windows, Mac, and Linux. The API is dead simple - import `Fore`, `Back`, and `Style`, concatenate them with strings, and you're done. No complex setup, no configuration files, just `colorama.init()` and go. The automatic wrapping of stdout/stderr on Windows is particularly elegant.

The lack of type hints is noticeable in modern Python projects. Your IDE won't autocomplete color names reliably, and you'll find yourself checking the docs for exact constant names like `Fore.LIGHTBLUE_EX` versus `Fore.BLUE`. Error handling is minimal - pass an invalid escape sequence and it simply won't work, with no helpful feedback. The documentation is functional but sparse, mostly just listing available constants.

Despite these limitations, colorama remains incredibly reliable for its scope. It's been stable for years, has zero dependencies, and just works. For basic terminal coloring needs, especially when Windows support matters, it's hard to beat the simplicity.

Colorama does exactly one thing well: makes colored terminal output work consistently across platforms, especially Windows. The API is refreshingly simple - import some constants like `Fore.RED` or `Style.BRIGHT`, concatenate them with your strings, and call `colorama.init()` at startup. That's essentially it. No complex builders, no learning curve, just string concatenation.

The lack of type hints is noticeable in modern Python projects. Your IDE won't help you discover available colors, and you'll reference the docs frequently at first. Error handling is practically non-existent - invalid color codes just print as-is, which can lead to debugging confusion. The autoreset feature via `init(autoreset=True)` is helpful but not well-documented in terms of performance implications.

For simple CLI tools and scripts where you need basic color support without dependencies on terminal-specific features, colorama is solid. It just works, and the Windows compatibility alone makes it valuable. For more sophisticated terminal UIs with positioning or rich formatting, you'll quickly outgrow it.