Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language (TOML) is a file format for configuration files.[3] It is intended to be easy to read and write due to obvious semantics which aim to be "minimal", and it is designed to map unambiguously to a dictionary. Originally created by Tom Preston-Werner, its specification is open source. TOML is used in a number of software projects[4][5][6] and is implemented in many programming languages.[7]
Filename extension |
.toml |
---|---|
Internet media type | Not registered[1] |
Developed by | Tom Preston-Werner Community |
Initial release | 23 February 2013 |
Latest release | 1.0.0[2] 12 January 2021 |
Type of format | Data interchange |
Open format? | Yes |
Website | toml |
TOML's syntax primarily consists of key = value
pairs, [section names]
, and #
(for comments). TOML's syntax somewhat resembles that of .INI files, but it includes a formal specification, whereas the INI file format suffers from many competing variants.
Its specification includes a list of supported data types: String, Integer, Float, Boolean, Datetime, Array, and Table.
# This is a TOML document.
title = "ImpalaPay Co."
[database]
server = "192.168.1.1"
ports = [ 8000, 8001, 8002 ]
connection_max = 5000
enabled = true
# Line breaks are OK when inside arrays
hosts = [
"alpha",
"omega"
]
[servers]
# Indentation (tabs and/or spaces) is allowed but not required
[servers.alpha]
ip = "10.0.0.1"
dc = "eqdc10"
[servers.beta]
ip = "10.0.0.2"
dc = "eqdc10"
TOML is used in a variety of settings (some related to its creator), such as:
application/toml
, but this has never been officially registered among IANA's Media Types.
YAML is both universally used, and universally reviled. It has a lot of problems, but it also is so useful in solving specific tasks that it's hard to replace. Some new kids on the block (such as TOML) have successfully taken over a portion of its market share, but it remains in force in places where those alternatives show their weaknesses.