Features›SGR (Text Styling)›24-bit bg (SGR 48;2)

24-bit bg (SGR 48;2)

Category: sgr · Baseline: modern · Tags: Xterm Extensions · Specification ↗

ESC [ 48;2;R;G;B m

SGR 48;2;R;G;B sets the background to a 24-bit RGB color. The sequence is ESC [ 48;2;R;G;B m. Same syntax variants and compatibility notes as SGR 38;2 (24-bit foreground).

How this is testedautomated
Send \x1b[48;2;0;255;128mX, verify the background color matches RGB(0, 255, 128) exactly.

The same probe runs against headless backends (via Termless) and real terminal apps (via a daemon launched in each terminal). This lets us distinguish parser correctness from rendering correctness.

Analysis2026-04-06

Supported by 11 of 12 terminals (92%). Not supported by: vt100.js. Part of the Modern TUI baseline. Notes: vt100.js: Not in VT100/VT220 — only 8 standard colors supported.

Supported by 13 of 14 backends (93%)

Terminal Applications

Terminal	Version	Support	Notes
iTerm2	3.6.9	✓ yes
Ghostty	1.3.1	✓ yes
VS Code		✓ yes
Warp		✓ yes
Cursor		✓ yes
Terminal.app		✓ yes

Headless Backends

Parser correctness only — a ✓ means the parser accepts the sequence.

Backend	Version	Support	Notes
Alacritty	0.26.0	✓ yes
Kitty	0.40.0	✓ yes
vterm	0.2.0	✓ yes
WezTerm	0.1.0-fork.5	✓ yes
xterm.js	5.5.0	✓ yes
vt100.js	0.2.1	✗ no	Not in VT100/VT220 — only 8 standard colors supported

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