We're building the world's largest open database of named colors with a free, fast API that plugs into any product.
Computers can display 16.7 million colors, yet only ~30,000 have official names. That's just 0.18% of the spectrum! The rest exist as cold hexadecimal codes, unloved and unnamed.
→ We're fixing that, one color at a time.
Designers, artists, and developers worldwide reference colors by name every single day. A named color is memorable, shareable, and human. It tells a story. #8B4789? That's just data. "Twilight Plum"? That's poetry.
→ Names make colors unforgettable.
OpenColors.org provides a fast, free API for developers to integrate into apps, websites, and design tools. Search by name, discover by hex, build color pickers, or create the next great design tool.
→ Because color data should be accessible.
Once you name a color, it's yours permanently. No subscriptions. No renewals. No takebacks. Your contribution becomes part of design history, used by creators around the world for generations to come.
→ True digital permanence.
Our API is 100% free for developers, designers, and hobbyists. Search colors by name, discover by hex, build color pickers, or ship color-aware UIs in minutes. Now supporting MCP for AI agents.
curl https://opencolors.org/api/v1/color/FF0055
Integrate our growing database into your projects. As the registry grows, so does your app's color vocabulary.
We believe in radical transparency. Here's exactly where your dollar goes:
PostgreSQL on Vercel, guaranteed uptime
Stripe charges ~3% per transaction
Free tier for everyone, scaling costs
Keeping the lights on
$1 per color keeps the registry running and accessible for everyone.
No ads. No data mining. No corporate overlords. Just colors.
Yes, as long as it hasn't been named already. There are 16.7 million distinct RGB colors. Once a specific hex code is named, it is locked forever.
OpenColors is the largest open public registry for color names on the web. Our goal is to become the de-facto standard used by designers and developers worldwide via our open API.
You get a permanent entry in the global registry, a digital certificate of ownership, and your chosen name will be served via our API to any application that uses OpenColors data.
No. To ensure the integrity of the database for developers and designers who rely on it, names are permanent once registered.
Yes! The API is 100% free for read operations. Developers can search for colors, look up hex codes, and integrate our data into their apps without paying a cent.
OpenColors is an independent project built to serve the creative community. We are not affiliated with Pantone, RAL, or any other color system.
When you name a color, you're not just claiming a hex code—you're contributing to a shared creative resource that will outlive all of us. Designers, artists, and developers around the world will use your color name. Your contribution becomes part of the fabric of digital creativity.
Be a part of design history. Name your color today.
Loading...Just named: "Digital Moss"
🇨🇦 Made in Canada, by Roy McLaughlin