TOML
A minimal configuration file format meant to be easy to read and map to key-value data.
- Stars
- 20.7k
- Forks
- 900
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- —
- Last update
- 6 days ago
- Type
- Other
What it is
TOML is a specification for a plain-text file format used mainly for configuration settings. It aims to be easy to read because its rules are simple and obvious, and it maps unambiguously to a hash table so programs can load it into data structures. This repository holds the in-development version of the spec; released versions are published at toml.io.
- Write an application's settings file with sections, nested tables, and comments
- Read the example document and the spec to learn how the format works
- Find existing TOML parsers, validators, and editor support via the project wiki
Great for
- Developers writing configuration files for an application or tool
- People who want comments and readable settings without YAML's complexity
- Projects that need a parser in their programming language of choice
- Anyone comparing config formats such as JSON, YAML, or INI
Not ideal for
- Serializing arbitrary data: the README says TOML is not meant for that, and it does not allow top-level arrays or floats
- Streaming use cases that need a standard start or end marker, since the README notes no standard exists for this
- Readers looking for downloadable software: this repo is the language specification, not an application
How to get it
- 1
See the README
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/toml-lang/toml.git - 2
Run it
- Read the example in the README to see the syntax
- Visit https://toml.io for the released specification
- Pick a TOML parser for your language from the project wiki
- Write a small .toml file and load it with that parser
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the language-agnostic test suite from the wiki to check parser behavior
- Use editor support listed in the wiki for syntax highlighting
- Compare with JSON or YAML using the comparison section of the README before choosing a format
Downloads
Strengths
- Simple, readable syntax with comments, as described in the README
- Designed to map unambiguously to a hash table, which makes parsing predictable
- Open specification under the MIT license with a wiki cataloging implementations
Trade-offs
- The README describes the repo as the in-development spec; released versions live at toml.io, so you may need to check which one applies
- Not designed as a general data serialization format, which limits some uses
- The README does not itself list parsers or tools; those are in the wiki
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| toml (this) | 20.7k | Other | beginner | 6 days ago | Developers writing configuration files for an application or tool |
| json | 50.8k | Library | beginner | 4 days ago | C++ developers who need to read or write JSON in an application |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.