INI to JSON Converter

INI to JSON: Parse Configuration Files for Modern Applications

INI files are among the oldest configuration formats — simple, human-readable, and still used by Python's configparser, PHP, game engines, and legacy Windows tools. When building a modern application or migration pipeline, converting INI to JSON lets you work with the config in JavaScript, REST APIs, or any language with a JSON library.

Formula

; INI file [database] host = localhost port = 5432 [server] debug = false // JSON output { "database": { "host": "localhost", "port": "5432" }, "server": { "debug": "false" } }

All INI values are strings in JSON output — cast to numbers or booleans in your code where needed.

INI Format Structure

[SectionName] headers create top-level objects. Key = value pairs (separated by = or :) inside a section become that object's properties. Comment lines starting with ; or # are stripped. Properties before the first section become root-level JSON properties. Inline comments (value ; comment) are also stripped.

Dotted Section Names

Some INI implementations support dotted section names like [database.pool]. This converter treats dots as path separators and creates nested objects: [database.pool] with max = 10 becomes { database: { pool: { max: '10' } } }. This mirrors how Python's configparser handles hierarchical configs.

Reading INI in Python, PHP, and Node.js

Python: configparser.ConfigParser() reads INI natively. PHP: parse_ini_file() returns an array. Node.js has no built-in INI parser — use the ini npm package or convert to JSON with this tool and use require('./config.json'). Go: use the gopkg.in/ini.v1 package.

Practical Examples

Migrating a Python App from INI to JSON Config

Convert a Python configparser INI file to JSON for use in a Node.js service.

1.Paste the .ini or .cfg config file
2.Review the JSON output — sections become nested objects
3.Save as config.json
4.Update your Node.js code to use require('./config.json') instead of parsing INI

What Gets Converted

[sections] → nested JSON objects
key = value pairs → JSON string properties
; and # comments → stripped from output
Dotted [section.sub] → nested objects
Inline comments on value lines → stripped

Good Use Cases

Migrating legacy INI configs to JSON for modern apps
Reading Windows .ini or .cfg files in JavaScript
Converting game engine configs (Godot, Unity) for tooling
Processing Python configparser output in non-Python services

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the INI file format?

INI is a simple configuration file format from Windows. It consists of sections (denoted by [SectionName]) containing key-value pairs (key = value). Comments start with ; or #. INI is used by Python's configparser, PHP's parse_ini_file(), Windows Registry export, many game engines, and legacy system tools.

How are sections converted to JSON?

Each [section] becomes a nested JSON object. Key-value pairs inside the section become properties of that object. Key-value pairs before any section (at the top of the file) become root-level properties.

Are values typed (numbers, booleans)?

No. INI has no type system — all values are strings. The converter preserves them as JSON strings. If you need typed values, parse them in your code after reading the JSON (e.g., parseInt(config.database.port) or config.server.debug === 'true').

Does this support dotted section names like [database.pool]?

Yes. Dotted section names are treated as nested paths. [database.pool] with key max = 10 becomes { database: { pool: { max: '10' } } }.