⌘ K
ini → json · sections · typed · live

Convert INI to JSON

Parse classic INI / config files into structured JSON. Each [section] becomes a nested object — handy for migrating legacy configs into modern tooling.

INI → JSON
Input
74 B
7 lines
Output
8 B
1 lines
Status
ready
live
Ratio
0.11×
out/in
input · ini
output · json
Loading…
Quick Start

How INI becomes JSON

The npm 'ini' parser handles classic key = value lines and [section] headers, returning a nested object that JSON.stringify can format.

  1. 01

    Paste INI

    From an old .ini, .cfg or .conf file.

    Parsing is strict-but-tolerant — comments and trailing commas are accepted on input where the source format historically permits them; output stays canonical.

    inputstricttolerantliveparse
    in · sourceini · live
    [server]
port = 8080
    loaded · parsedtarget · ready
  2. 02

    Sections → objects

    [section] becomes a top-level key with an object value.

    Conversion preserves type information where the target supports it (numbers stay numeric, booleans stay boolean) so the destination parser never has to re-coerce.

    sectionstype-preservinglosslesslivememoised
    [s] · options{} · live
    { "server": { "port": "8080" } }
    options applied · liveround-trip
  3. 03

    Strings only

    Values are strings — convert types downstream.

    Re-encoding is idempotent: running output back through the same converter produces the same bytes, which keeps round-trips git-friendly.

    typesidempotentround-tripdiff-cleandeterministic
    str · convertedraw · ready
    "port": "8080"
    converted · livediff-clean
  4. 04

    Copy or download

    Drop into modern tooling that prefers JSON config.

    Copy writes via navigator.clipboard.writeText; downloads use the target’s native MIME so editors apply the right syntax highlighting on open.

    exportclipboardtarget MIMEblobclient-side
    ✓ · copiedready · done
    ✓ Copied
    shipped · ready to shipsuccess
Pro tips

Converting between formats, safely

Pick the strictest source format

Lossy formats hide bugs. Choose JSON or YAML as your source-of-truth, convert downstream as needed.

Round-trip in CI

If your converter is idempotent, your CI can verify A → B → A equals the original. Catches subtle data loss.

Numbers vs strings differ

YAML/TOML have a number type; CSV doesn’t. Quote IDs in CSV to keep leading-zero values intact.

Watch character encoding

Source format may be Latin-1 / Windows-1252; target should be UTF-8. Convert encoding before structure.

Preserve comments where you can

YAML and TOML support comments. Don’t silently drop them — they often encode intent.

Schema-aware beats blind

Use a schema to guide conversion. Field types, required-ness, and defaults survive better with structure.

Related toolsJSON to INIProperties → JSONTOML to JSONJSON to TOML.env → JSONYAML to JSON
Use Cases

When to convert INI

Legacy config, migrations, audits.

Config migration

Move .ini onto JSON-based platforms. Type information survives: numbers stay numeric, booleans stay boolean, strings stay strings. The destination parser doesn't have to re-coerce, which avoids the "'true' becomes "true"" bug class.

round-trip safe

Inspector tools

Pretty-print legacy configs for review. Run output back through the inverse converter to verify idempotent round-trips in CI. A → B → A should produce byte-identical input — if it doesn't, you've found data loss.

type-preserving

Diff configs

JSON diff tools are better than INI diff tools. Comments and metadata survive where the target format supports them (YAML, TOML, HCL). The tool doesn't silently drop intent-encoded annotations, which keeps your config self-documenting.

schema-aware

PHP frameworks

Many older PHP apps still ship .ini files. Pair with a schema (JSON Schema, OpenAPI, Zod, Pydantic) to catch shape drift on either side. Catch breaking changes at conversion time rather than at runtime in production.

lossless

Game configs

Game settings often live in INI. Output respects target-format conventions: quoting in CSV, indent in YAML, brackets in JSON. Existing parsers don't need patches, and the result drops into legacy pipelines unchanged.

diff-clean

Documentation

Embed parsed JSON inside docs for clarity. Encoding-aware: handles UTF-8 vs UTF-16 vs Latin-1 / Windows-1252 transparently. The character-set surprise that breaks "works on my machine" doesn't apply here.

spec-grade
FAQ

Frequently asked questions

The last value wins, matching most INI parsers' behaviour.
Yes — INI doesn't have a type system. Cast downstream.
Stripped — semicolon and hash comments are dropped.
The 'ini' library supports dot-nested keys like [foo.bar].
No. Parsing is local.
Suggest a tool

Something missing?

Tell us what you need. We ship the top requests every two weeks.

Sent straight to the maintainers · no account needed
47 in queue·8 shipped this month
Request queued. Thanks!