Python TUI Frameworks and Libraries
Python TUI Frameworks & Libraries
Python offers rich choices for TUI (Text-based User Interface) application development. From traditional curses to the latest Textual, various approaches and levels of libraries are available.
Ecosystem Characteristics
Modern Approaches
- Textual: Innovative framework bringing web development concepts to terminals
- Rich: Library providing beautiful output and TUI construction foundation
Mature Solutions
- Urwid: Comprehensive TUI library with years of proven track record
- npyscreen: Specialized for form-based application development
Lightweight & High-Performance
- PyTermGUI: Lightweight library with YAML-based configuration
- Blessed: Emphasizing simplicity as an improved version of curses
Low-Level & Foundation Technology
- curses: Foundation technology in Python standard library
Selection Guidelines
New Projects
For modern features and active development, Textual is recommended. You can build TUI apps leveraging web development knowledge.
Simple Output Enhancement
For beautifying terminal output, starting with Rich is recommended. You can gradually add TUI features.
Enterprise & Long-term Projects
For stability and proven track record, Urwid is suitable. It provides rich widgets and mature APIs.
Learning & Experimentation
PyTermGUI and Blessed have low learning costs and are suitable for TUI development introduction.
Trends
As of 2024, the Python TUI ecosystem shows active development centered around Textual. The transition from traditional curses-based approaches to modern approaches utilizing web technology knowledge is accelerating.
The combination of Rich and Textual is establishing itself as the new standard for Python TUI development and is being adopted by many new projects.
GitHub Star Comparison
| No | Name | GitHub Stars | Description | Trend | License | Official Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rich | ⭐ 52.9k | A library for enriching Python terminal output. Provides features like colorization, tables, progress bars, and syntax highlighting, serving as a foundation for TUI development. | A popular library also used as the base for the Textual framework. It's actively used for building TUI applications on its own. | MIT | Official |
| 2 | Textual | ⭐ 30.0k | A modern framework for building TUI applications in Python. It adopts CSS, DOM, and reactive programming models, bringing web development concepts to the terminal environment. | The most prominent Python TUI framework in 2024. Built on top of the Rich library with increasing enterprise adoption. | MIT | Official |
| 3 | Urwid | ⭐ 2.9k | A console user interface library for Python. A well-established TUI library providing a rich widget set and event-driven programming model. | A proven library used in many projects over the years. Highly regarded for its stability and maturity. | LGPL | Official |
| 4 | PyTermGUI | ⭐ 2.5k | A lightweight and high-performance TUI library for Python. Provides YAML-based configuration, customizable themes, and rich widgets. | A new TUI library gaining attention in recent years. Growing popularity due to its modern approach and high performance. | MIT | Official |
| 5 | Blessed | ⭐ 1.3k | A Python terminal handling library. Works as a thin wrapper around curses, providing cross-platform support and a simple API. | A stable library adopted by many projects as an alternative to curses. Valued for its simplicity and reliability. | MIT | Official |
| 6 | pyTermTk | ⭐ 744 | A Python terminal toolkit library. Provides a Qt-like API with layout managers and signal-slot functionality as a full-fledged TUI framework. | A new framework gaining popularity among developers seeking Qt-like APIs. Its design is familiar to desktop application developers. | MIT | Official |
| 7 | npyscreen | ⭐ 500 | A Python ncurses-based application framework. Provides forms, widgets, and theme systems to support building complex TUI applications. | Used as a mature TUI framework, particularly for developing complex form-based applications. | BSD | Official |
| 8 | curses | - | A low-level terminal control library included in Python's standard library. Serves as the foundation for TUI application development on Unix-like systems. | A foundational technology used for many years as part of the standard library. Functions as the base for many other TUI libraries. | PSF | Official |