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Color Name API

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Rest API that returns a bunch of color names for a given color-value.

Introducing a comprehensive and easy to use color-naming API! Easily retrieve the color name for any hexadecimal color value, using a variety of different color name lists. Whether you're working on a design project or building a color-themed application, our API has you covered.

Getting started with the REST API

Hello World

Let's start by testing the API. Open up a command prompt and enter the following command:

$ curl https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=aaffcc

➜ {
➜   "colors":
➜    [
➜      {
➜        "name":"Neo Mint",
➜        "hex":"#aaffcc",
➜        "rgb":{"r":170,"g":255,"b":204},
➜        "hsl":{"h":144,"s":100,"l":83.33333},
➜        "lab":{"l":93.57729,"a":-34.63514,"b":15.94209},
➜        "luminance":159.78151,
➜        "luminanceWCAG":0.84426,
➜        "requestedHex":"#aaffcc",
➜        "distance":0
➜       }
➜    ], 
➜    "paletteTitle":"Neo Mint"
➜  }

The response will be a a JSON Object containing two keys: colors and paletteTitle colors will contain an array of all the colors you have asked for, with some useful information like name or hsl.

Now, let's GET the names for multiple colors:

$ curl 'https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=0d0d0f,f39d91,d4d4d7'

➜ 
{
  "paletteTitle":"Ruined Amber",
  "colors":[
    {
      "name":"Ruined Smores",
      "hex":"#0f1012",
      "rgb":{
        "r":15,
        "g":16,
        "b":18
      },
      "hsl":{
        "h":220,
        "s":9.09091,
        "l":6.47059
      },
      "lab":{
        "l":4.64662,
        "a":-0.0655,
        "b":-1.21669
      },
      "luminance":10.60828,
      "luminanceWCAG":0.00516,
      "requestedHex":"#0d0d0f",
      "distance":0.7732
    },
    {
      "name":"Peach Amber",
      "hex":"#fb9f93",
      "rgb":{
        "r":251,
        "g":159,
        "b":147
      },
      "hsl":{
        "h":7,
        "s":92.85714,
        "l":78.03922
      },
      "lab":{
        "l":74.88027,
        "a":34.17564,
        "b":21.39099
      },
      "luminance":120.93069,
      "luminanceWCAG":0.47412,
      "requestedHex":"#f39d91",
      "distance":1.39432
    },
    {
      "name":"Nimbus Cloud",
      "hex":"#d5d5d8",
      "rgb":{
        "r":213,
        "g":213,
        "b":216
      },
      "hsl":{
        "h":240,
        "s":3.7037,
        "l":84.11765
      },
      "lab":{
        "l":85.33592,
        "a":0.40788,
        "b":-1.48475
      },
      "luminance":142.46096,
      "luminanceWCAG":0.66693,
      "requestedHex":"#d4d4d7",
      "distance":0.23432
    }
  ]
}

The response now contains 3 objects in the colors array. The API will return the closest color names if can find for each requested color. The come from a large collection. If for some reason you don't like the names, there are several other lists to choose from. So lets get the same names from a differet list.

$ curl 'https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=0d0d0f,f39d91,d4d4d7&list=wikipedia'

Get supported color name lists

$ curl 'https://api.color.pizza/v1/lists/'

➜
{
  availableColorNameLists: [
    "defaults",
    "colors",
    "bestOf",
    "basic"
    // ... //
  ],
  listDescriptions: {
    "basic": {
      "title": "Basic",
      "description": "A set of basic colors. Red, Green, Blue...",
      "source": "https://github.com/colorjs/color-namer/tree/master/lib/colors",
      "key": "basic"
      "colorCount": 21,
      "url": "/v1/?list=basic"
    },
    // ... //
  }
}

The response contains two keys: availableColorNameLists and listDescriptions.

availableColorNameLists is an array of all the color name lists currently supported by Color Names, such as Wikipedia, HTML color lists, traditional Japanese colors etc.

listdescriptionsis an object whose keys are the name of the color lists with values containing useful information such as title, description, source etc.

In this demo, you can preview names of common colors given by each list. You can also change the input colors and the corresponding names in each list will be updated on the spot.

Now when some of the requested colors are very similar you might get some duplicate names:

$ curl 'https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=1b2b11,1c2f11,2e3f24&list=wikipedia'

Notice how Phthalo Green was returned twice. What makes this API unique is that you can ask to return a color name only once. So if you ask for similar colors the api will make sure to return a unique color name per requested color.

$ curl 'https://api.color.pizza/v1/?values=1b2b11,1c2f11,2e3f24&list=wikipedia&noduplicates=true'

In smaller color name lists. This can lead to strage results. So we suggest using this feature with some the larger lists: default, bestOf, wikipedia, ntc, ral, ridgway or xkcd

Using WebSockets

The Color Name API also supports real-time color updates via WebSocket connections. It broadcasts whenever new color names are requested through the API. If you're interested in using WebSockets with the API, please create an issue with your use case and domain.

Codepen is allowed by default. See the demo for an example of how to use the WebSocket connection.

To use WebSockets with the API:

  1. First, make sure your domain is on the allowed origins list. Currently, WebSocket connections are restricted to approved origins for security purposes. If you need access, please create an issue with your use case and domain.

  2. Connect to the WebSocket endpoint using a WebSocket client:

    const socket = io('https://api.color.pizza', {
  transports: ['websocket']
});

// Listen for color updates
socket.on('colors', (data) => {
  console.log('Received color data:', data);
  // {
  //   paletteTitle: "Neo Mint",
  //   colors: [{
  //     name: "Neo Mint",
  //     hex: "#aaffcc",
  //     // ... other color properties
  //   }],
  //   list: "default"
  // }
});

  3. The WebSocket connection will automatically receive updates whenever new colors are requested through the API. The data format matches the REST API response structure, containing the paletteTitle, colors array, and the list used.

Server Configuration

If you're self-hosting the API, you can enable WebSocket support by setting the following environment variables:

SOCKET=true
ALLOWED_SOCKET_ORIGINS=https://yourdomain.com,https://otherdomain.com

Note that WebSocket support is optional and disabled by default. The REST API endpoints will continue to work regardless of WebSocket configuration.