anser

library2.3.5jsnpmunverified

Anser is a low-level parser for ANSI escape codes, converting terminal text with color/style sequences into HTML elements, JSON, or plain text. Version 2.3.5 is the current stable release, with infrequent updates focused on bug fixes and edge cases. Key differentiators: supports true color (24-bit), 256-color palette, and SGR parameters; provides both HTML and JSON output; includes link detection and HTML escaping; has TypeScript definitions. Alternatives like chalk focus on terminal output, not parsing, while ansi-to-html is less feature-rich. Released under MIT license.

serialization web-framework

npm install anser

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · ANSER

anser

serializationjavascriptv2.3.5

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

Anser

✓ import Anser from 'anser'

✗ const Anser = require('anser')

ESM default import. For CommonJS use require('anser').default or use the import syntax shown. TypeScript with --esModuleInterop uses default import; without, use import Anser = require('anser').

ansiToHtml

✓ import { ansiToHtml } from 'anser'

✗ import { Anser } from 'anser'

Named export for the function. Alternatively use Anser.ansiToHtml as a static method.

escapeForHtml

✓ import { escapeForHtml } from 'anser'

✗ const escapeForHtml = require('anser').escapeForHtml

Helper function to escape HTML entities. Available as named export.

Demonstrates converting ANSI-colored text to HTML with inline styles, CSS classes, JSON, and plain text removal.

import Anser from 'anser'; const txt = "\u001b[38;5;196mHello\u001b[39m \u001b[48;5;226mWorld\u001b[49m"; // Convert to HTML with inline styles const html = Anser.ansiToHtml(txt); console.log(html); // Hello World // Convert to HTML with CSS classes const htmlClasses = Anser.ansiToHtml(txt, { use_classes: true }); console.log(htmlClasses); // Hello World // Convert to JSON const json = Anser.ansiToJson(txt); console.log(JSON.stringify(json[1])); // {"content":"Hello","fg":"255, 0, 0","bg":null,"fg_truecolor":null,"bg_truecolor":null,"clearLine":false,"decoration":null,"was_processed":true} // Remove ANSI codes (plain text) const plain = Anser.ansiToText(txt); console.log(plain); // Hello World

Debug

Known issues

breakingESM-only package since v2 with no CommonJS main export; require('anser') may not work in Node.js without package.json exports field support.

fix

Use import syntax or set type: 'module' in package.json. For CommonJS, use dynamic import or await import('anser').

affects: >=2.0.0

deprecatedThe ansiToJson method's output includes a 'isEmpty' function property which may be removed in future versions.

fix

Access json object properties directly without relying on isEmpty function. Use content, fg, bg, etc.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaTypeScript definition export changed in v2.0.2; importing as namespace may fail without esModuleInterop.

fix

Enable esModuleInterop in tsconfig.json, or use import Anser = require('anser') and use as namespace.

affects: >=2.0.2

gotchaansiToHtml with use_classes uses palette-based class names (e.g., 'ansi-palette-196-fg') which may not match CSS frameworks expecting different naming.

fix

Customize class names by mapping the palette yourself, or use inline styles (default).

affects: >=1.0.0

deprecatedThe 'linkify' option in ansiToHtml was removed in v2.0.0; use external linkification.

fix

Pre-process text with a linkify library before passing to anser.

affects: >=2.0.0

gotchaGrayscale palette colors (in 256-color mode) may return undefined for some indices.

fix

Update to v2.3.5+ which fixes grayscale palette returning undefined.

affects: <=2.3.4

Errors

Common errors & fixes

Cannot find module 'anser' or its corresponding type declarations.

Missing @types/anser or package not installed.

fix

npm install anser (types included) or yarn add anser. No separate @types needed.

TypeError: Anser.ansiToHtml is not a function

Using default import without default export syntax in CommonJS environment.

fix

Use import Anser from 'anser' (ESM) or const Anser = require('anser').default (CommonJS).

Module '"anser"' has no exported member 'ansiToHtml'.

Trying named import from anser when it's not exported that way in TypeScript without esModuleInterop.

fix

Use import Anser from 'anser' and call Anser.ansiToHtml, or enable esModuleInterop.

Cannot use import statement outside a module

Using ESM import syntax in a CommonJS script without 'type':'module' in package.json.

fix

Add "type": "module" to package.json or rename file to .mjs.

Upgrade

Version history

2.3.5latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

32 hits · last 30 days

node

OpenAI (training)

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/IonicaBizau/anser ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/anser ↗