TOML

TOML: Obvious Minimal Configuration File Format

TOML (Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language) is a minimal configuration file format easy to read with obvious semantics, designed to map unambiguously to a hash table and ideal for configuration files.

What is TOML?

TOML (Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language) is a configuration file format that is designed to be minimal, easy to read, and map unambiguously to a dictionary. Some key features of TOML include:

• It uses key/value pairs for configuration data
• Supports data types like strings, integers, floats, booleans, datetimes, arrays and nested tables
• Has a simple syntax that is easy for humans to read and write
• Can represent complex hierarchical data using table arrays and nested tables
• Has extensive specification documentation for interoperability
• Space efficient format that maps unambiguously to a dictionary

TOML is a good format to use for configuration files where readability is important. It competes with other formats like JSON, YAML and XML but prioritizes being minimal and easy for humans over being very flexible or supporting complex data structures. It's well-suited for storing simple configuration data like key/value parameters, server details, database credentials and preferences.

Some examples of where TOML is used include projects built with Rust, Hugo, and other systems that need a straightforward configuration file format. The TOML spec is stable, versioned, and developed by an open governance model to ensure it evolves carefully over time.

TOML Features

Official Links