← Colour converter

Convert HEX, RGB and HSL colours in PHP

Convert a colour between hex, RGB, HSL, HSV, CMYK and CIE Lab, find its nearest CSS name, and check WCAG contrast against another colour. Here is the whole call in PHP, with the output it produced when we ran it.

Before you start

• An API key. Create a free account; it comes with free tokens every month. Put the key in an environment variable so it stays out of your code: export BLOODWEB_KEY=your_key
• PHP 7.4 or later with the curl extension, which most installs have.

The code

Save it as color-convert.php and run php color-convert.php.

<?php
$ch = curl_init('https://bloodweb.net/api/v1/color-convert?' . http_build_query(['color' => '#c0392b', 'contrast_with' => 'white']));
curl_setopt_array($ch, [
    CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER     => ['Authorization: Bearer ' . getenv('BLOODWEB_KEY')],
    CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
    CURLOPT_TIMEOUT        => 120,
]);
$body   = curl_exec($ch);
$status = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_RESPONSE_CODE);
if ($body === false) {
    exit(curl_error($ch) . "\n");
}
if ($status !== 200) {
    exit($status . ': ' . json_decode($body, true)['error']['message'] . "\n");
}
print_r(json_decode($body, true));

What you get

Tested 19 October 2026: this exact code ran against our test copy of the API, which runs the same service code as bloodweb.net, and produced this.

The API answers with JSON, which print_r shows as an array:

{
    "hex": "#c0392b",
    "hex8": null,
    "rgb": {
        "r": 192,
        "g": 57,
        "b": 43,
        "a": 1
    },
    "rgb_css": "rgb(192, 57, 43)",
    "hsl": {
        "h": 5.6,
        "s": 63.4,
        "l": 46.1
    },
    "hsl_css": "hsl(5.6, 63.4%, 46.1%)",
    "hsv": {
        "h": 5.6,
        "s": 77.6,
        "v": 75.3
    },
    "cmyk": {
        "c": 0,
        "m": 70.3,
        "y": 77.6,
        "k": 24.7
    },
    "lab": {
        "l": 44.68,
        "a": 52.91,
        "b": 39.24
    },
    "name": null,
    "nearest_name": "firebrick",
    "luminance": 0.1431,
    "best_text": "#ffffff",
    "contrast": {
        "with": "#ffffff",
        "ratio": 5.43,
        "aa_normal": true,
        "aa_large": true,
        "aaa_normal": false,
        "aaa_large": true
    }
}

Change the call

Every option the Colour converter takes. Add or change them the same way as the ones in the code.

• color required: Any of: #c0392b, #c0392b80, rgb(192, 57, 43), rgba(...), hsl(6, 63%, 46%), hsv(6, 78%, 75%), cmyk(0%, 70%, 78%, 25%), or a CSS name such as tomato.
• contrast_with: A second colour, in any of the same forms. Adds the WCAG 2 contrast ratio and pass or fail for AA and AAA.
• scheme: Also return a matching set of colours built from this one. One of: complementary, analogous, triadic, split, tetradic, shades, tints.

If it fails

A failed call is not charged. The answer is JSON with an error object; the code above prints its message. The usual ones:

• 401 missing_key or invalid_key: BLOODWEB_KEY is not set in the shell that runs the code, or the key was revoked.
• 400 bad_param: a value is wrong or missing. The message names the parameter.
• 402 insufficient_tokens: the balance does not cover the call. Top up in the dashboard.
• 429 rate_limited: too many calls at once. Wait the seconds in the Retry-After header and send it again.

Every code and its fix is in the docs.

Next

• The Colour converter page: every option, the limits, and Try it now in your browser.
• Getting started: keys, errors and rate limits for all the services.