---
id: oslo-config
version: "10.7.0"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# oslo.config — Oslo Configuration API

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 1.8M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Oslo.config is a configuration library originally developed for OpenStack but usable by any Python application. It provides a unified API for defining, parsing, and managing configuration from both command-line arguments and .ini-style configuration files. The library handles type validation, default values, and option registration through a declarative interface.

The package depends on six runtime libraries: netaddr for network address handling, stevedore for plugin management, oslo.i18n for internationalization, rfc3986 for URI parsing, PyYAML for YAML support, and requests for HTTP operations. It is actively maintained, supports Python 3.11 through 3.14, and carries no known security vulnerabilities.

Use it for:

- Define and parse configuration options for OpenStack services or other distributed applications.
- Load application settings from both command-line flags and .ini configuration files in a single unified interface.
- Manage plugin-based configuration through stevedore integration for extensible applications.
- Validate and type-check configuration values at parse time to catch errors early.

## Worth the install?

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

Parses command-line arguments and .ini-style configuration files for OpenStack applications and other Python projects.

Yes. Oslo.config is a mature, actively maintained library with low install friction, no security vulnerabilities, and permissive licensing. It is well-suited for applications that need flexible configuration from multiple sources. Install it if you are building OpenStack services or any Python application requiring robust command-line and file-based configuration management.

## Install

pip install oslo-config
uv add oslo-config
poetry add oslo-config

## Installing oslo.config

Before you install: Low friction installation with a pure-Python wheel. Active maintenance with a release within the last week. Requires Python 3.11 or later.

License in practice: Apache License 2.0 (permissive) — free to use, modify, and distribute in commercial and open-source projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install oslo.config

from oslo_config import cfg

CONF = cfg.CONF
CONF.register_opt(cfg.StrOpt('name', default='example'))
CONF(['--name', 'myapp'])

Requires Python 3.11 or later.

Verify before relying:

- Whether the library's plugin system (stevedore) integration is documented with examples.
- Performance characteristics when parsing large configuration files or many command-line arguments.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 1.8M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

ini config file parser, command line argument parsing, configuration management library, openstack config, application settings loader, openstack, configuration-management

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