| TOML | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Filename extension | .toml |
| Internet media type | application/toml |
| Developed by |
|
| Initial release | 23 February 2013 |
| Latest release | 1.1.0 [1] 18 December 2025 |
| Type of format | Data interchange |
| Open format? | Yes |
| Website | toml |
Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language (TOML, originally Tom's Own Markup Language) [2] is a file format for configuration files. [3] It is designed to be easy to read and write by being minimal (unlike the more-complex YAML) and by using human-readable syntax. The project standardizes the implementation of the ubiquitous INI file format (which it has largely supplanted[ citation needed ]), removing ambiguity from its interpretation. Originally created by Tom Preston-Werner, the TOML specification is open source. TOML is used in a number of software projects [4] [5] [6] and is implemented by all popular programming languages. [7]
TOML's syntax primarily consists of, among other constructs, key = value pairs, [section names], and # (for comments). TOML's syntax is a superset of the .INI format but has one agreed-upon formal specification, whereas the .INI format suffers from many competing variants (most implicitly specified through project-specific parsers).
Exceeding stringly-typed semantics, TOML supports the data types string, integer, float, boolean, datetime, array and table.
# This is a TOML document.title="TOML Example"[database]server="192.168.1.1"ports=[8000,8001,8002]connection_max=5000enabled=true# Line breaks are okay when inside arrayshosts=["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 such as:
_config.toml (although configuration through YAML is also supported)hugo.toml (although configuration through JSON or YAML are also supported)pyproject.toml [8] Cargo.toml [4] Project.toml and package manifests Manifest.toml [9] blender_manifest.toml [10] libs.versions.toml [11] .taplo.toml and taplo.toml [12] .prettierrc.toml [13] {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)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.