An evaluation and comparison of various Python templating libraries

Last updated: October 2023

• Escapes variables for HTML, with escape hatch for no escaping
• Inheritance system(s) (ideally both include style as well as extension style)
• Syntax highlighting well supported in IDEs
• Nice to have: Has escape tools for JS and JSON
• Nice to have: Linter and formatter support
• Preferred: Raises an error when a variable is not defined
  • Django templates don't do this (StackOverflow)
• Preferred: Escape hatch to Python, since sometimes we to map variables, and bespoke DSLs are frustrating/limited
• Bonus: Can express multiple tags in 1 line (a la Jade/Pug)
  • strong > a
• Bonus: Can express ids and classes easily (a la Jade/Pug, HAML, Slim)

• Starting with known templates
• As well as criteria
• [ ] General Python templates
  • [x] "python templating"
  • [x] https://wiki.python.org/moin/Templating
  • [x] https://opensource.com/resources/python/template-libraries
    • [x] Tempy
    • [x] Kajiki
  • [ ] https://www.fullstackpython.com/template-engines.html
    • [ ] Diazo
    • [ ] Juno
    • [ ] pyratemp
    • [ ] pystache
• [ ] HAML variations
• [ ] Jade variations
• [ ] Pug variations
• [ ] Slim variations

Fwiw, in my experience the "this templating language ported to your language" almost never lasts as a supported library =/

(unless it's something intentionally universal like Mustache)

So usually a pretty bad idea to build on top of ._.

RST is required for multiline behavior in tables. Markdown doesn't support this =(