What it does
Qix’s MIT-licensed color library parses CSS strings and structured colour values into immutable JavaScript objects. Chainable operations adjust components, convert models and produce strings, arrays or objects.
Keep the starting colour and derive a variant through operations such as lightness, saturation, rotation or mixing. The result can be expressed as a CSS string or converted to another model before reading its components. Alpha is supported throughout the object workflow.
The output method matters: hex drops alpha, while hexa includes it. Relative lightening also behaves differently from setting an absolute lightness value; multiplying a zero lightness still leaves black. The library provides a separate contrast method for comparing two colours rather than treating lightening as a contrast check.
The repository distributes the package under the MIT licence.
Strengths
- Immutable operations retain the starting value.
- String and structured outputs serve different application boundaries.
Watch out for
- The hex method omits transparency.
- Relative lightening does not lift a colour whose lightness is zero.
Best for
- JavaScript theme utilities deriving and serializing colour variants
Sources
- color README, usage and licence identification (Oct 27, 2026)