Marko (Python Markdown Parser)

2.2.2 · active · verified Thu Apr 09

Marko is a pure Python markdown parser, version 2.2.2, designed for high extensibility and strict adherence to CommonMark's spec v0.31.2. It supports Python 3.9 and higher, with its latest release on January 5, 2026. The library offers a flexible extension system for custom features, although its strict compliance can result in slower performance compared to some other parsers.

Warnings

gotcha Marko prioritizes strict CommonMark compliance, which can result in slower performance compared to other Python markdown parsers (e.g., Python-Markdown, Mistune) if raw parsing speed is the primary concern.
Fix: Consider `Python-Markdown` or `Mistune` if performance is critical and strict CommonMark compliance is less important.
breaking The extension system underwent a significant change in version 0.5.0. Users migrating from older versions (pre-0.5.0) will need to update their extension implementations to the new API.
Fix: Refer to the official documentation for the updated extension API when migrating from versions prior to 0.5.0.
breaking Support for Python 3.6 was dropped in v1.3.0, and support for Python 3.8 was dropped in v2.2.1. The current version (2.2.2) requires Python 3.9 or higher.
Fix: Upgrade your Python environment to 3.9 or newer. Alternatively, pin your `marko` version to a compatible release.
gotcha Instances of the `marko.Markdown` class are not thread-safe. In multi-threaded applications, a new `Markdown` instance should be created for each thread to avoid unexpected behavior.
Fix: Instantiate `marko.Markdown()` within each thread or use thread-local storage for instances.
gotcha Certain built-in extensions, such as 'toc' (Table of Contents) and 'codehilite' (Code Highlight), require additional, optional dependencies (`python-slugify` and `Pygments` respectively). These are not installed by default with `pip install marko`.
Fix: Install these extensions with their respective extras, e.g., `pip install marko[toc]` or `pip install marko[codehilite]`.

Install

pip install marko Install latest version
pip install marko[toc] Install with Table of Contents (TOC) extension dependencies
pip install marko[codehilite] Install with Code Highlighting extension dependencies

Imports

convert

import marko
html = marko.convert(markdown_text)

Markdown

from marko import Markdown
markdown = Markdown(extensions=['footnote'])

make_extension

from marko.ext.footnote import make_extension

gfm
```
from marko.ext.gfm import gfm
```

Quickstart

A basic example demonstrating how to convert Markdown text to HTML using `marko.convert()`. It also includes a brief example of initializing the `Markdown` class with a built-in extension.

import marko

markdown_text = """
# Hello Marko!

This is **bold** text and *italic* text.

- Item 1
- Item 2

```python
print('Hello from a code block')
```
"""

html_output = marko.convert(markdown_text)
print(html_output)

# Example with an extension
from marko import Markdown
markdown = Markdown(extensions=['footnote'])
html_with_footnote = markdown.convert('Footnotes[^1]\n\n[^1]: My footnote.')
print(html_with_footnote)

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