iniparser
A small, portable, and re-entrant C library for parsing INI configuration files.
What is iniparser?
iniParser is a C library for parsing INI configuration files. It reads INI files, extracts sections and key-value pairs, and provides accessor functions to retrieve configuration data as strings, integers, doubles, or booleans. It solves the problem of managing configuration settings in C applications without relying on external libraries.
C developers working on embedded systems, command-line tools, or applications that require a simple, dependency-free way to handle configuration files.
Developers choose iniParser for its minimal footprint, portability across platforms, and thread-safe design. Its straightforward API and lack of external dependencies make it a reliable choice for projects where simplicity and efficiency are paramount.
Overview
ini file parser
Use Cases
Best For
- Parsing configuration files in embedded C applications
- Adding INI support to command-line tools without heavy dependencies
- Managing application settings in lightweight desktop software
- Educational projects demonstrating file parsing in C
- Integrating configuration management in thread-safe environments
- Replacing custom configuration parsers with a standardized library
Not Ideal For
- Applications parsing INI files with thousands of keys, due to inefficient linear search in the dictionary implementation.
- Projects requiring configuration in modern formats like JSON or YAML, as iniParser is strictly for INI files.
- Teams needing a library with active, frequent updates, given the recent maintenance transition and version freeze on GitHub.
- Environments where extensive documentation or community support is critical, beyond the basic header file and FAQ.
Pros & Cons
Pros
The library is extremely small, with only about 1500 lines of code across four files, making it ideal for embedded systems and resource-constrained environments.
Written in strict ANSI C with no external libraries required, it ensures high portability and ease of integration across various platforms.
Fully re-entrant and designed for thread safety; the README notes that library calls can be made thread-safe by surrounding them with mutexes.
Supports advanced INI features like sections, multi-line values, quoted strings, and inline comments, providing robustness for diverse configuration needs.
Offers intuitive accessor functions (e.g., iniparser_getstring, iniparser_getint) for retrieving configuration data in various types, simplifying usage.
Cons
The dictionary implementation uses linear search, which can become a performance bottleneck for INI files with a large number of keys, as admitted in the 'Known defects' section.
Documentation is primarily confined to the header file and online HTML; there are no extensive tutorials or guides, which may hinder deeper integration or troubleshooting.
The project has moved to GitLab and frozen versions on GitHub, indicating potential instability or reduced support for ongoing development and bug fixes.
While parsing is robust, writing INI files is not a core feature; the example 'iniwrite' is provided, but it lacks the polish and documentation of the parsing functions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Projects
inihSimple .INI file parser in C, good for embedded systems
mpcA Parser Combinator library for C
toml++Header-only TOML config file parser and serializer for C++17.
libuclUniversal configuration library parser
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