python-hcl2
A parser for HCL2
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with minimal friction (two lightweight dependencies), supports current Python versions, and solves a real problem for anyone working with Terraform or other HCL2-based tools. The permissive MIT license poses no barrier. Install it if you need to parse, query, or generate HCL2 files from Python.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.8 or higher.
- Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two runtime dependencies (lark and regex).
- Actively maintained with a recent release; last commit was 2026-07-18 and the project is not archived.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
last release 2026-04-10 (126 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-18 · 316 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 6,339,437 downloads/mo, #1,929 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install python-hcl2
import hcl2
with open("main.tf") as f:
data = hcl2.load(f)
hcl_string = hcl2.dumps(data)- Whether the package handles all HCL2 syntax edge cases or has known parsing limitations beyond those documented.
- Performance characteristics when parsing very large HCL2 files or directories.
What it is and what it does
python-hcl2 is a parser that reads HCL2 configuration syntax—the language used by Terraform and other HashiCorp tools—and converts it into Python dictionaries, or vice versa. It uses the Lark parsing library and the regex module as its core dependencies. The package supports HCL2 only (not the older HCL v1) and works with any HCL2 config file, including Terraform configurations.
Beyond basic parsing, the package provides a Builder API for constructing HCL2 documents programmatically from Python, and ships three CLI tools: hcl2tojson and jsontohcl2 for format conversion, and hq—a jq-like query tool for extracting and inspecting parts of HCL2 files. It is actively maintained, supports Python 3.8 through 3.13, and carries no known security vulnerabilities.
Use it for
- Convert Terraform .tf files to JSON for programmatic inspection or transformation in a Python application.
- Build HCL2 configuration files dynamically from Python code without hand-writing HCL syntax.
- Query specific values from HCL2 files using the hq CLI tool for compliance checks or configuration audits.
- Integrate HCL2 parsing into infrastructure-as-code tooling or configuration management scripts.
- Round-trip HCL2 ↔ JSON for data pipeline or API integration workflows.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, installs with minimal friction (two lightweight dependencies), supports current Python versions, and solves a real problem for anyone working with Terraform or other HCL2-based tools. The permissive MIT license poses no barrier. Install it if you need to parse, query, or generate HCL2 files from Python.
Install
python-hcl2 on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction: pure Python wheel with only two runtime dependencies (lark and regex). Actively maintained with a recent release; last commit was 2026-07-18 and the project is not archived.
Requires Python 3.8 or higher.
License in practice
MIT license (permissive) means you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial and private projects with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
pip install python-hcl2
import hcl2
with open("main.tf") as f:
data = hcl2.load(f)
hcl_string = hcl2.dumps(data)Verify before relying
- Whether the package handles all HCL2 syntax edge cases or has known parsing limitations beyond those documented.
- Performance characteristics when parsing very large HCL2 files or directories.
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8.0 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packageslarkregex |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 126 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 6,339,437 / month, #1,929 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: python_hcl2-8.1.2-py3-none-any.whl
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See also bc-python-hcl2 · pyhcl · tfparse · tree-sitter-hcl · fhconfparser · cdktf · lark-js · python-terraform · lark-parser · hvac