black

The uncompromising Python code formatter

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Quick Overview

Black is an opinionated Python code formatter that automatically formats Python code to conform to a consistent style. It aims to provide a deterministic output, reducing the need for debates about code style in teams and making code reviews more focused on content rather than formatting.

Pros

Enforces a consistent code style across projects and teams
Saves time by automating code formatting
Improves code readability and maintainability
Integrates well with popular editors and CI/CD pipelines

Cons

Opinionated nature may not suit all coding preferences
Can sometimes produce unexpected formatting results
May require initial setup and configuration in projects
Limited customization options compared to other formatters

Code Examples

Basic usage:

# Before formatting
def long_function_name(
    var_one, var_two, var_three,
    var_four):
    print(var_one)

# After formatting with Black
def long_function_name(
    var_one, var_two, var_three, var_four
):
    print(var_one)

Handling string quotes:

# Before formatting
x = "hello"
y = 'world'

# After formatting with Black
x = "hello"
y = "world"

Formatting imports:

# Before formatting
import sys, os
from collections import defaultdict, OrderedDict

# After formatting with Black
import os
import sys

from collections import OrderedDict, defaultdict

Getting Started

To use Black, first install it using pip:

pip install black

Then, to format a file or directory:

black path/to/file_or_directory

To integrate Black with your editor, refer to the documentation for specific instructions. For example, in VS Code, you can add the following to your settings.json:

{
    "python.formatting.provider": "black",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
}

This will automatically format your Python files using Black when you save them.

Competitor Comparisons

flake8

3,391

flake8 is a python tool that glues together pycodestyle, pyflakes, mccabe, and third-party plugins to check the style and quality of some python code.

Pros of flake8

More flexible and customizable with various plugins
Checks for logical errors and complexity in addition to style
Faster execution time for large codebases

Cons of flake8

Requires more configuration to achieve consistent results
May produce false positives or miss some style issues
Does not automatically format code, only reports issues

Code Comparison

flake8:

def example_function(param1, param2):
    result = param1 + param2
    return result

Black:

def example_function(param1, param2):
    result = param1 + param2
    return result

In this simple example, both tools would consider the code acceptable. However, Black would automatically format more complex code to adhere to its opinionated style, while flake8 would only report style violations without making changes.

flake8 focuses on identifying potential issues and style violations, while Black is an opinionated code formatter that automatically applies a consistent style. flake8 offers more flexibility and can catch logical errors, but requires more setup. Black, on the other hand, provides a simpler, "no-decisions" approach to code formatting but may be less customizable for specific project needs.

yapf

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A formatter for Python files

Pros of YAPF

More configurable, allowing fine-tuning of formatting style
Supports multiple formatting styles (PEP8, Google, Chromium, Facebook)
Can preserve existing formatting in some cases

Cons of YAPF

Less opinionated, which can lead to inconsistencies across projects
Slower performance compared to Black
Configuration options can be overwhelming for new users

Code Comparison

YAPF:

def long_function_name(
    var_one, var_two, var_three,
    var_four):
    print(var_one)

Black:

def long_function_name(
    var_one,
    var_two,
    var_three,
    var_four,
):
    print(var_one)

Both Black and YAPF are popular Python code formatters, but they have different philosophies. Black is more opinionated and aims for consistency across all projects, while YAPF offers more flexibility in formatting styles. Black generally produces more consistent results and is faster, but YAPF allows for more customization to match existing project styles. The choice between them often depends on project requirements and team preferences.

autopep8

4,558

A tool that automatically formats Python code to conform to the PEP 8 style guide.

Pros of autopep8

More configurable, allowing users to customize formatting rules
Preserves existing code structure more closely
Faster execution for large codebases

Cons of autopep8

Less opinionated, which can lead to inconsistent formatting across projects
Doesn't enforce a strict style guide, potentially allowing some PEP 8 violations
May require more manual intervention to achieve consistent formatting

Code Comparison

autopep8:

def example_function(arg1,    arg2,arg3):
    result = arg1+arg2+arg3
    return result

Black:

def example_function(arg1, arg2, arg3):
    result = arg1 + arg2 + arg3
    return result

Black applies more aggressive formatting, ensuring consistent spacing and line breaks. autopep8 makes minimal changes, preserving the original structure more closely.

Both tools aim to improve Python code formatting, but Black takes a more opinionated approach with fewer configuration options, while autopep8 offers more flexibility at the cost of potential inconsistencies. The choice between them depends on project requirements and team preferences for code style enforcement.

pylint

5,236

It's not just a linter that annoys you!

Pros of Pylint

More comprehensive: Checks for a wider range of issues, including code style, errors, and potential bugs
Highly configurable: Allows customization of rules and checks to fit specific project needs
Provides a numerical code quality score, helping track improvements over time

Cons of Pylint

Can be slower to run, especially on large codebases
May produce more false positives, requiring careful configuration
Has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive feature set

Code Comparison

Pylint example:

# pylint: disable=invalid-name
x = 5  # This variable name would normally trigger a warning

Black example:

def long_function_name(
    parameter_1, parameter_2, parameter_3, parameter_4, parameter_5, parameter_6
):
    print("Black will format this function signature")

Black focuses solely on code formatting, while Pylint performs a broader range of checks. Black automatically reformats code, whereas Pylint provides warnings and suggestions for improvement. Both tools serve different purposes in Python development workflows, with Black ensuring consistent formatting and Pylint helping maintain overall code quality and adherence to best practices.

ruff

30,822

An extremely fast Python linter and code formatter, written in Rust.

Pros of Ruff

Significantly faster performance due to being written in Rust
More comprehensive linting and formatting capabilities
Combines multiple tools (linter, formatter, import sorter) into one

Cons of Ruff

Newer project with potentially less stability and community support
May have fewer customization options compared to Black's mature ecosystem
Learning curve for users familiar with Black's simplicity

Code Comparison

Black:

def long_function_name(
    var_one, var_two, var_three, var_four
):
    print(var_one)

Ruff:

def long_function_name(
    var_one,
    var_two,
    var_three,
    var_four,
):
    print(var_one)

Ruff's default formatting is similar to Black's, but with subtle differences like trailing commas in function definitions. Both tools aim for consistent, opinionated formatting, but Ruff offers additional linting capabilities beyond just formatting.

While Black focuses solely on code formatting, Ruff combines formatting, linting, and import sorting into a single tool. This integration can streamline the development process and potentially improve overall code quality. However, Black's simplicity and established presence in the Python ecosystem make it a reliable choice for projects prioritizing straightforward formatting.

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README

The Uncompromising Code Formatter

âAny color you like.â

Black is the uncompromising Python code formatter. By using it, you agree to cede control over minutiae of hand-formatting. In return, Black gives you speed, determinism, and freedom from pycodestyle nagging about formatting. You will save time and mental energy for more important matters.

Blackened code looks the same regardless of the project you're reading. Formatting becomes transparent after a while and you can focus on the content instead.

Black makes code review faster by producing the smallest diffs possible.

Try it out now using the Black Playground. Watch the PyCon 2019 talk to learn more.

Read the documentation on ReadTheDocs!

Installation and usage

Installation

Black can be installed by running pip install black. It requires Python 3.8+ to run. If you want to format Jupyter Notebooks, install with pip install "black[jupyter]".

If you can't wait for the latest hotness and want to install from GitHub, use:

pip install git+https://github.com/psf/black

Usage

To get started right away with sensible defaults:

black {source_file_or_directory}

You can run Black as a package if running it as a script doesn't work:

python -m black {source_file_or_directory}

Further information can be found in our docs:

Usage and Configuration

Black is already successfully used by many projects, small and big. Black has a comprehensive test suite, with efficient parallel tests, and our own auto formatting and parallel Continuous Integration runner. Now that we have become stable, you should not expect large formatting changes in the future. Stylistic changes will mostly be responses to bug reports and support for new Python syntax. For more information please refer to The Black Code Style.

Also, as a safety measure which slows down processing, Black will check that the reformatted code still produces a valid AST that is effectively equivalent to the original (see the Pragmatism section for details). If you're feeling confident, use --fast.

The Black code style

Black is a PEP 8 compliant opinionated formatter. Black reformats entire files in place. Style configuration options are deliberately limited and rarely added. It doesn't take previous formatting into account (see Pragmatism for exceptions).

Our documentation covers the current Black code style, but planned changes to it are also documented. They're both worth taking a look at:

Changes to the Black code style are bound by the Stability Policy:

The Black Code Style: Stability Policy

Please refer to this document before submitting an issue. What seems like a bug might be intended behaviour.

Pragmatism

Early versions of Black used to be absolutist in some respects. They took after its initial author. This was fine at the time as it made the implementation simpler and there were not many users anyway. Not many edge cases were reported. As a mature tool, Black does make some exceptions to rules it otherwise holds.

The Black code style: Pragmatism

Please refer to this document before submitting an issue just like with the document above. What seems like a bug might be intended behaviour.

Configuration

Black is able to read project-specific default values for its command line options from a pyproject.toml file. This is especially useful for specifying custom --include and --exclude/--force-exclude/--extend-exclude patterns for your project.

You can find more details in our documentation:

The basics: Configuration via a file

And if you're looking for more general configuration documentation:

Usage and Configuration

Pro-tip: If you're asking yourself "Do I need to configure anything?" the answer is "No". Black is all about sensible defaults. Applying those defaults will have your code in compliance with many other Black formatted projects.

Used by

The following notable open-source projects trust Black with enforcing a consistent code style: pytest, tox, Pyramid, Django, Django Channels, Hypothesis, attrs, SQLAlchemy, Poetry, PyPA applications (Warehouse, Bandersnatch, Pipenv, virtualenv), pandas, Pillow, Twisted, LocalStack, every Datadog Agent Integration, Home Assistant, Zulip, Kedro, OpenOA, FLORIS, ORBIT, WOMBAT, and many more.

The following organizations use Black: Facebook, Dropbox, KeepTruckin, Lyft, Mozilla, Quora, Duolingo, QuantumBlack, Tesla, Archer Aviation.

Are we missing anyone? Let us know.

Testimonials

Mike Bayer, author of SQLAlchemy:

I can't think of any single tool in my entire programming career that has given me a bigger productivity increase by its introduction. I can now do refactorings in about 1% of the keystrokes that it would have taken me previously when we had no way for code to format itself.

Dusty Phillips, writer:

Black is opinionated so you don't have to be.

Hynek Schlawack, creator of attrs, core developer of Twisted and CPython:

An auto-formatter that doesn't suck is all I want for Xmas!

Carl Meyer, Django core developer:

At least the name is good.

Kenneth Reitz, creator of requests and pipenv:

This vastly improves the formatting of our code. Thanks a ton!

Show your style

Use the badge in your project's README.md:

[![Code style: black](https://img.shields.io/badge/code%20style-black-000000.svg)](https://github.com/psf/black)

Using the badge in README.rst:

.. image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/code%20style-black-000000.svg
    :target: https://github.com/psf/black

Looks like this:

License

MIT

Contributing

Welcome! Happy to see you willing to make the project better. You can get started by reading this:

Contributing: The basics

You can also take a look at the rest of the contributing docs or talk with the developers:

Change log

The log has become rather long. It moved to its own file.

See CHANGES.

Authors

The author list is quite long nowadays, so it lives in its own file.

See AUTHORS.md

Code of Conduct

Everyone participating in the Black project, and in particular in the issue tracker, pull requests, and social media activity, is expected to treat other people with respect and more generally to follow the guidelines articulated in the Python Community Code of Conduct.

At the same time, humor is encouraged. In fact, basic familiarity with Monty Python's Flying Circus is expected. We are not savages.

And if you really need to slap somebody, do it with a fish while dancing.

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