---
id: kvf
version: "0.0.3"
license: MIT
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# kvf — The key-value file format with sections

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 124.1K/mo

## What it is and what it does

KvF is a configuration file format parser that combines key-value pairs with named sections, using Paradict as its underlying text encoding. It provides a simple API to read and write config files as Python dictionaries, where each section becomes a top-level key mapping to a nested dictionary of settings. The format supports comments, nested data structures (lists and dictionaries), and Paradict's type syntax for explicit data representation.

The package is built on two dependencies—paradict for text serialization and braq for section parsing—and offers four main functions: get_config() and load() for reading files, and put_config() and dump() for writing them. It's designed to be a lightweight alternative to formats like INI or YAML when you need sections with structured nested values.

Use it for:

- Store application settings in a human-readable sectioned format with support for nested lists and dictionaries.
- Parse configuration files that require both section organization and complex data types without JSON overhead.
- Replace simple INI-style configs when you need to represent nested structures like lists of items per section.
- Load and save user preferences organized by feature or module as separate sections in one file.

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Reads and writes configuration files in KvF format, a key-value file format with named sections that uses Paradict text encoding.

Yes, if you need a lightweight sectioned config format with Paradict encoding and can tolerate dormant maintenance. The low install friction and permissive license make it suitable for small projects, but the lack of active development and minimal community adoption (1 star, 612 days since release) mean you should expect no bug fixes or feature updates. Use only if the KvF format itself is the right fit for your use case.

## Install

pip install kvf
uv add kvf
poetry add kvf

## Installing kvf

Before you install: Low install friction with only two runtime dependencies (paradict and braq). Maintenance is dormant—last commit was 2024-12-10 and the project has received no updates since initial release in late 2024, so expect no active support or bug fixes.

License in practice: MIT license is permissive, allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions—suitable for most projects that can accept a permissive license.

Quickstart:

import kvf

# Read a config file
my_config = kvf.get_config("/path/to/config.kvf")

# Write a config file
kvf.put_config(my_config, "/path/to/config.kvf")

Requires Python 3.5 or newer.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the package handles edge cases like duplicate section names or malformed Paradict syntax gracefully.
- Performance characteristics when parsing large config files.
- Compatibility with all Paradict data types and nested structures beyond the documented examples.

## Package facts

- License: MIT (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 124.1K/month (top 15,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

config file parser, key-value configuration format, sectioned config files, kvf file format, paradict config reader, configuration file management, ini-like config parser, config-parser, file-format

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/kvf) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/kvf/)