Solarized
A 16-color palette for terminals and code editors, with matched dark and light modes.
- Stars
- 16k
- Forks
- 3.4k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Vim Script
- Last update
- 2.3 years ago
- Type
- Other
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
Solarized is a color scheme: a fixed set of 16 colors (eight neutral tones and eight accent colors) that you apply to terminals, text editors and other apps so text and code are easier to read. It is built around CIELAB lightness relationships and color-wheel hue relationships, and it is designed so the dark and light versions feel like one scheme. Ports exist for many editors and terminal emulators, with the Vim version being the most prominent.
- Apply the Vim colorscheme to your editor for syntax highlighting with reduced brightness contrast
- Switch between dark and light background modes in an editor while keeping the same overall feel
- Use the published palette values, such as the Photoshop or GIMP palettes, in design work
- Set up a supported terminal emulator such as iTerm2 or Xfce terminal with the Solarized colors
Great for
- Developers who spend long hours in a terminal or code editor and want a low-glare color scheme
- People who switch between dark and light backgrounds and want them to look consistent
- Users of Vim, Emacs, IntelliJ, Visual Studio or a supported terminal emulator who want a ready-made theme
- Designers who want a palette of five or more colors with matched tones
Not ideal for
- People who want a high-contrast scheme; the README says Solarized deliberately reduces brightness contrast
- Users of editors or terminals with no listed port, unless they are willing to build one from the published values
- Anyone looking for a software application or library; this is a set of color values and themes
How to get it
- 1
See the README
Clone the full repository
git clone git://github.com/altercation/solarized.git - 2
Run it
- Clone the repository or download the latest zip from the project page
- Find the folder for your application, such as Vim, Emacs or your terminal emulator
- Follow that application's instructions to install the color scheme
- Select the Solarized dark or light mode in your application's settings
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the Vim-only repository if you manage Vim plugins with Pathogen or a similar tool
- Use the palette files for Photoshop, GIMP or Apple Color Picker when designing with the same colors
- Check the README's Usage & Development section for the exact values to use in different contexts
- Use the published sass snippet as a starting point for inverting colors based on an HTML class
Downloads
Strengths
- The README describes a deliberate, documented design based on CIELAB lightness and color-wheel hues
- Covers many applications, including Vim, Emacs, IntelliJ, Visual Studio and several terminal emulators
- Dark and light modes are designed to match each other
Trade-offs
- The README says the TextMate dark theme is a work in progress and Xcode ports are not yet merged
- The README's release information is dated; the current release is listed as v1.0.0beta2 and the file header shows 2011 dates
- Its low brightness contrast may not suit users who need strong readability or accessibility contrast
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.