[Replacement]: `picocolors`

[gameroman]

Package to replace

picocolors

Suggested replacement(s)

util.styleText (Node.js built-in, since v20.12.0)

piccolore

ansis

Manifest type

preferred (lighter or more modern alternative package)

Rationale

picocolors is CJS-only and hasn't received updates for 2 years

[nktnet1]

Note that these are also listed as replacements for chalk:

• https://e18e.dev/docs/replacements/chalk.html
• https://github.com/e18e/module-replacements/blob/3.1.0/docs/modules/chalk.md

Not sure if there's a way to communicate this without repetition?

[joaopedrodcf]

There is, you can check axios, node-fetch etc

All of those have the same replacements

[43081j]

i think this is positioned slightly wrong.

ansis and other libraries are not replacements for picocolors.

ansis, other libraries, and picocolors are replacements for chalk.

now that time has moved on, styleText is a replacement for ansis, other libraries, and picocolors.

so the decision here isn't to recommend replacing picocolors with another library, it is if its time to recommend using styleText across the board.

[delucis]

if its time to recommend using styleText across the board.

From what I've seen, one reason people reach for a library is for code that runs on both server and client — styleText is not available on the client.

[lishaduck]

Just putting it out there that styleText only gained hex color support in 26.1, so many projects that are on a library have been/are stuck until they drop v24 support.

[nktnet1]

Just putting it out there that styleText only gained hex color support in 26.1, so many projects that are on a library have been/are stuck until they drop v24 support.

@lishaduck I don't think that's true - it's been supported since v24.16:

• https://nodejs.org/docs/latest-v24.x/api/util.html#utilstyletextformat-text-options

  

[lishaduck]

@lishaduck I don't think that's true - it's been supported since v24.16:

I missed that it got backported... 🤦🏻
In Flint, we're planning on jumping straight to v26.1 instead of keeping around support for a v24 version, so I didn't even think about it.

Still, v26.1 is <3 months old, and v24.16 is barely 2, so I still think it's unlikely that many libraries support it yet.

[Tobbe]

TIL: FORCE_COLOR supports three different levels, 1, 2, 3: https://nodejs.org/api/cli.html#force_color1-2-3
ansis supports those three values. styleText does not.

I opened a PR on node (my first 😬 😱) to add support nodejs/node#64955. But until that lands, that's another reason to keep using ansis over styleText