Black
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VisitBlack vs Ruff
What both publish
| Fact | Black | Ruff |
|---|---|---|
| Docker | Official Black Docker images are available, with tags for releases and prereleases. | The maker publishes Ruff as a Docker image tagged by release and with a latest tag. |
| Editor integrations | The documentation describes integrations for editors including PyCharm, Vim, Neovim, Visual Studio Code, and Sublime Text. | The setup guide documents integrations including VS Code, Sublime Text, PyCharm, and Zed. |
| Editor support | Documented editor integrations include Emacs, PyCharm and IntelliJ IDEA, Vim, Neovim, Visual Studio Code, SublimeText, and others. | The built-in Ruff Language Server provides diagnostics, code actions to fix them, and formatting; the docs recommend pairing it with another Python language server for navigation and autocompletion. |
| Installation | Black installs with pip or pipx and requires Python 3.10 or later to run. | Ruff can be installed using uv, pip, pipx, standalone installers, and package managers including Homebrew and Conda. |
| Purpose | Black is an opinionated formatter for Python code that follows PEP 8. | Ruff is a Python linter and code formatter written in Rust. |
Black plans
- BlackFree
Ruff plans
- RuffFree
Pick Black if…
Black suits Python developers who want consistent formatting with few style decisions. It can also suit teams using documented editor integrations or GitHub Actions.
Pick Ruff if…
Ruff suits Python developers who want linting, formatting, and automatic fixes in one tool. It may also suit teams using supported editors, CI integrations, or pre-commit hooks.