Transform Your Terminal: Mastering the Rich Python Library for Stunning CLI Outputs

Learn how to use the Rich Python library to create colorful print statements, styled tables, and progress bars that instantly upgrade your CLI apps and scripts.

If we are all being honest here, we know that when we are dealing with large projects and files our terminal gets overwhelming. It’s hard to pin point exactly where we are looking and the specific output we are looking for.

But command-line tools don’t have to look boring—and that’s where Rich comes in. It’s a Python library that takes your usual black-and-white terminal output and turns it into something way cleaner and easier to read.

It’s like giving your script a visual upgrade. You can throw in color, clean tables, progress bars, markdown formatting, syntax highlighting—all kinds of stuff that makes your output not only look better but way easier to follow.

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I first found Rich when I was trying to make my logs easier to read, and I’ve been hooked ever since. It’s one of those libraries that instantly improves your workflow without needing much extra effort.

Rich is perfect if you're building a little command-line app, printing info during a long process, or just want your script output to look more organized. It makes a big difference when you're trying to see what’s going on in real time.

In this article, I’ll show you three of my favorite features in Rich that you can start using right away. Whether you're debugging, running a long process, or just trying to make your output easier to look at, these will help.

It’s super easy to learn and actually fun to use. Once you get a feel for it, you won’t want to go back to regular old print statements.

Alright, let’s get Rich installed:

pip3 install rich

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Time to give your terminal a little upgrade. After this, plain text just won’t cut it anymore.

This Week’s Rich Tips