Shiki

Beautiful syntax highlighter using TextMate grammars and VS Code themes.

Overview

Shiki is a syntax highlighter built on TextMate grammars, the same engine that powers VS Code. It provides accurate and beautiful code highlighting with zero runtime overhead—all highlighting is performed at build time, allowing you to ship zero JavaScript while maintaining perfect syntax highlighting.

The tool is highly customizable with a HAST-based architecture that supports addons and transformations. Shiki is fully tree-shakable ESM and runs universally across any JavaScript runtime, including browsers, Node.js, Cloudflare Workers, and more.

Key features

TextMate grammar support
Zero runtime JavaScript
Build-time highlighting
HAST-based architecture
Customizable transformations
ESM and tree-shakable
Universal JavaScript runtime support
Dual theme support

Pros

Accurate syntax highlighting matching VS Code
No runtime performance overhead
Highly customizable with addons and transformations
Works across all JavaScript environments
Lightweight and tree-shakable

Cons

Requires build-time processing
Learning curve for custom themes and languages

Use this if

You need accurate, beautiful syntax highlighting with zero runtime cost, want to customize highlighting behavior, or need to highlight code across multiple JavaScript environments.

Skip this if

You need client-side dynamic syntax highlighting without a build step, or require real-time code highlighting in the browser.

Best for

Code documentationBlog posts with code examplesDeveloper websitesStatic site generationBuild-time code highlighting

Alternatives

Highlight.jsPrism.jsPygmentsRouge

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