Parsedown
A Markdown-to-HTML parser for PHP, packaged as a single file with no dependencies.
- Stars
- 15k
- Forks
- 1.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- PHP
- Last update
- 9 months ago
- Type
- Library
What it is
Parsedown is a PHP library that converts Markdown text into HTML. Markdown is a simple plain-text format for headings, lists, links and emphasis. Developers use Parsedown to show formatted text on websites, such as user comments or content pages, without writing HTML by hand.
- Render a Markdown blog post or documentation page to HTML in a PHP site
- Convert user comments written in Markdown into HTML, using safe mode for untrusted input
- Parse only inline Markdown, such as a single line of formatted text, with the line() method
- Add custom syntax through the parser's extensibility, or use the separate Markdown Extra extension
Great for
- PHP developers who need to render Markdown inside a PHP web application
- Projects that want a small parser with no external dependencies
- Sites that display user-written Markdown and can enable its safe mode
- Developers who want to extend the parser with their own syntax
Not ideal for
- Non-PHP projects, since the library is written only for PHP
- Teams that need full CommonMark compliance, because the README says it passes most but not all CommonMark tests
- Anyone who wants a finished end-user app rather than code to integrate
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: PHP 7.1+
Install with Composer
composer require erusev/parsedown - 2
Run it
- Install the package with Composer, or download Parsedown.php and include it
- Create a parser object with new Parsedown()
- Call $Parsedown->text() with your Markdown string and echo the result
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Call setSafeMode(true) when rendering untrusted user input
- Use line() to parse inline Markdown without wrapping paragraphs
- Pair untrusted-content output with an HTML sanitiser such as HTML Purifier, as the README recommends
- Add a Content-Security-Policy as defence in depth, per the README
- Use the Markdown Extra extension if you need extra syntax
Downloads
Strengths
- Ships as one file with no dependencies, so it is simple to include
- The README lists security options, including safe mode and escaping HTML, for untrusted input
- Installable via Composer or by downloading a single file, with MIT licensing
Trade-offs
- The README says it passes most CommonMark tests but not all, so output may differ from other CommonMark tools
- The README warns that the markup-escaping option is not safe from XSS and that extensions need their own safety review
- The README describes the release only as 1.8.0 and gives no detailed changelog, so update details are unclear
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| parsedown (this) | 15k | Library | beginner | 9 months ago | PHP developers who need to render Markdown inside a PHP web application |
| showdown | 14.9k | Library | beginner | 8 days ago | JavaScript developers adding Markdown rendering to a web page |
| tree-sitter | 27.4k | Library | advanced | 4 days ago | Developers building code editors or IDE features that need to understand source code as it changes |
| markdown-it | 22k | Library | intermediate | 14 days ago | JavaScript or TypeScript developers who need to render Markdown in a Node.js or browser project |
| mdx | 19.8k | Library | intermediate | 8 days ago | Developers building documentation or content sites in React, Preact, or Vue |
| tui.editor | 18k | Library | intermediate | 2.3 years ago | Web developers who want an embeddable Markdown editor in their own site or app |
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.