The official CLI for validating, inspecting, and converting YINI configuration files to JSON or JavaScript, maintained by the YINI-lang project.
YINI is an INI-inspired, human-readable configuration format with explicit structure, nested sections, comments, and predictable parsing.
YINI is intended to emphasize clarity, readability, explicit structure, predictability, and deterministic parsing, while remaining simple, but not simplistic.
YINI CLI requires Node.js v20 or later.
-
Install globally from npm — (requires Node.js)
Open your terminal and run:npm install -g yini-cli -
Verify installation
Run this in your terminal:yini --version
This should print the installed version.
Then try:
yini --help
This should show the CLI help.
-
Test functionality
Create a simple test file, for example:config.yini:^ App name = "My App Title" version = "1.2.3" pageSize = 25 darkTheme = offThen run:
yini parse config.yini
Expected output:
{ "App": { "name": "My App Title", "version": "1.2.3", "pageSize": 25, "darkTheme": false } }
- Validating configuration files during development or CI.
- Inspecting and debugging structured configuration.
- Converting YINI files to JSON for tooling and automation.
A basic YINI configuration example, showing a section, nested section, comments:
Source: basic.yini
A real-world YINI configuration example, showing sections, nesting, comments, and multiple data types:
Source: config.yini
- Indentation-independent structure: YINI is indentation-independent — whitespace never alters structural meaning.
- Explicit nesting: Section markers such as
^,^^, and^^^define hierarchy explicitly. - Multiple data types: Supports booleans (
true/false,yes/no, etc.), numbers, lists, and inline objects, with explicit string syntax. - Comment support: YINI supports multiple comment styles (
#,//,/* ... */, and;) for documenting configuration directly in the file. - Predictable parsing: Well-defined rules with optional strict and lenient modes for different use cases.
yini parse config.yini→ Parse and print formatted JSON (default).
yini parse config.yini --compact→ Output compact JSON (no whitespace).
yini parse config.yini --js→ Output as JavaScript-style object.
yini parse config.yini -o out.json→ Write formatted JSON to a file.
yini validate --strict config.yini→ Validate using strict mode.
For help with a specific command:
yini parse --helpIf you find a problem, please open an issue on GitHub:
When reporting parser behavior, it is helpful to include:
- The YINI input that caused the issue.
- The command and options used.
- The expected result.
- The actual result or error message.
- The installed
yini-cliversion. - The Node.js version used.
- The operating system and version used.
Here's a small example showing YINI structure and comments:
// This is a comment in YINI
^ App // Defines section (group) "App"
name = 'My Title' // Keys and values are written as key = value
items = 25
darkMode = true // "ON" and "YES" works too
// Sub-section of the "App" section
^^ Special
primaryColor = #336699 // Hex number format
isCaching = false // "OFF" and "NO" works too
# This is a comment too.
The above YINI as a JavaScript object:
{
App: {
name: 'My Title',
items: 25,
darkMode: true,
Special: {
primaryColor: 3368601,
isCaching: false
}
}
}In JSON:
{
"App":{
"name":"My Title",
"items":25,
"darkMode":true,
"Special":{
"primaryColor":3368601,
"isCaching":false
}
}
}- YINI Homepage.
- YINI Demo Apps with usage examples.
The parse command supports multiple output formats:
| Command Example | Output Format | Description |
|---|---|---|
yini parse config.yini |
Pretty JSON (default) | Formatted JSON with indentation (4 spaces). |
yini parse config.yini --json |
Pretty JSON | Explicit pretty JSON output. |
yini parse config.yini --compact |
Compact JSON | Minified JSON (no whitespace). |
yini parse config.yini --js |
JavaScript object | JavaScript-style object (unquoted keys, single quotes). |
yini parse config.yini -o out.json |
File output | Writes formatted JSON to file (default format). |
--jsand--compactare mutually exclusive.
--outputcan be combined with a style flag to control both formatting and destination.
When using -o, --output <file>, YINI CLI applies safe write rules:
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| File does not exist | File is written |
| File exists and is older than the input YINI file | File is overwritten |
| File exists and is newer than the input YINI file | Skipped by default |
| File exists and output content is unchanged | Skipped |
--overwrite is used |
File is always overwritten |
--no-overwrite is used |
Command fails if file exists |
This helps avoid overwriting newer generated files and avoids rewriting unchanged output unnecessarily.
Use --overwrite to force replacement.
-
➡️ YINI Homepage
Tutorials, guides, and examples. -
➡️ Read the YINI Specification
Full syntax and format reference. -
➡️ YINI Parser on npm
The TypeScript/Node.js parser used by this CLI. -
➡️ Demo Apps
Complete basic usage examples. -
➡️ YINI-lang Project
Repositories and related ecosystem projects.
Bug reports, feedback, and contributions are welcome.
GitHub Issues and Discussions are available for feedback and project discussion.
This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 — see the LICENSE file for details.
In this project on GitHub, the libs directory contains third-party software and each is licensed under its own license which is described in its own license file under the respective directory under libs.
^YINI ≡
YINI is a human-readable configuration format designed for clarity, readability, explicit structure, predictability, and deterministic parsing.
See the specification for syntax and format details.