Python’s standard-library configparser module reads and writes INI-style configuration files. Use read_file() when a file is required, read() when files are optional or layered, and the typed getters when a setting must be an integer, float, or boolean.
For example, a file named app.ini can hold defaults and application settings:
[DEFAULT]
log_level = INFO
[database]
host = localhost
port = 5432
enabled = yesRead a required configuration file
Open the file in text mode and pass its handle to read_file(). Unlike read(), this makes a missing or unreadable file an explicit error rather than silently leaving the parser empty.
import configparser
config = configparser.ConfigParser()
with open("app.ini", encoding="utf-8") as file:
config.read_file(file)
host = config["database"]["host"]
print(host)The example prints localhost. The standard-library parser models a configuration language with a structure similar to Windows INI files; see the Python configparser reference.
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Use read() for optional files and overrides
read() accepts one path or an iterable of paths, ignores files it cannot open, and returns the filenames it successfully parsed. It is useful when configuration files are optional. Files are applied in order: later files override conflicting values while earlier values that are not replaced remain available.
import configparser
config = configparser.ConfigParser()
loaded = config.read(["defaults.ini", "local.ini"], encoding="utf-8")
print("Loaded:", loaded)
if not loaded:
print("No configuration file was found")If at least one file is required, do not treat an empty result from read() as success; use read_file() and handle its file or parsing exceptions.
Retrieve strings and convert values
Values are strings when read. Access an option with mapping syntax or get(), and use the typed getters where your program needs a non-string value.
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host = config["database"]["host"]
port = config.getint("database", "port")
enabled = config.getboolean("database", "enabled")
ratio = config.getfloat("service", "ratio", fallback=1.0)getint(), getfloat(), and getboolean() convert common types. Boolean values accept conventional spellings such as yes/no, true/false, on/off, and 1/0. For an application-specific type, register a converter when constructing the parser; its method becomes available as a getter.
config = configparser.ConfigParser(converters={
"list": lambda value: [item.strip() for item in value.split(",")]
})
# In the file: allowed_hosts = example.com, api.example.com
hosts = config.getlist("security", "allowed_hosts")A missing section or option normally raises an error. If absence is expected, provide fallback= to the relevant getter, such as config.get("service", "name", fallback="default"). A fallback is not a substitute for validating values that are present but malformed.
Understand DEFAULT values and interpolation
Options in [DEFAULT] are inherited by named sections. They can be read through a section, but the default section is not an ordinary named section that appears among the parser’s sections.
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[DEFAULT]
region = us-east
[storage]
bucket = uploadsconfig["storage"]["region"] returns us-east, even though region is not written inside [storage].
Basic interpolation is on by default
Basic interpolation uses %(name)s references, resolved from the same section or its defaults. A literal percent sign must be written as %%.
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[paths]
root = /srv/app
logs = %(root)s/logs
percent = 80%%Use raw=True on an individual getter when you need the uninterpolated text, or set interpolation=None when constructing the parser to disable interpolation throughout. For cross-section references and the ${section:option} syntax, use configparser.ExtendedInterpolation().
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config = configparser.ConfigParser(
interpolation=configparser.ExtendedInterpolation()
)Set options and write the configuration
Set values as strings on an existing section, then pass a text-mode file object to write(). The parser serializes its current representation; it is not a formatting-preserving editor and does not promise to retain the original comment layout.
config["database"]["host"] = "db.internal"
config["database"]["port"] = "5433"
with open("app.ini", "w", encoding="utf-8") as file:
config.write(file)To create a section before setting its values, use config.add_section("database") unless it already exists. A write/read round trip is intended, but serialization can fail for representations that cannot be parsed accurately: Python 3.14 added InvalidWriteError for this case.
Options and behaviors that commonly surprise developers
Duplicate sections and options
strict=True is the default. Duplicate sections or options within one input source, such as one file, string, or dictionary, raise an error rather than silently overriding one another. This does not prevent deliberate layering across separate files: later files passed to read() can override earlier ones.
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Option names are lowercased by default
Option names are normalized to lowercase by optionxform(). If a format you control requires case-sensitive names, customize that transformation before reading; do so only when you need that behavior, since it changes how options are looked up.
Comments and multiline values
Full-line comment prefixes are recognized, but inline comments are not enabled by default. Enabling inline comment prefixes can make those characters unavailable as literal parts of values. Multiline values depend on indentation; blank-line handling is affected by empty_lines_in_values.
Version-specific parsing and writing
Check the Python version you support before relying on newer behavior. Python 3.13 added allow_unnamed_section and a MultilineContinuationError case. Python 3.14 added InvalidWriteError for unsafe serialization.
Common errors and fixes
- The parser is empty after reading:
read()could not open any requested files. Check the path and permissions; useread_file()if absence should fail immediately. NoSectionErrororNoOptionError: confirm the section and option spelling, remember that option names are lowercased by default, or supply a suitable fallback if omission is valid.DuplicateSectionErrororDuplicateOptionError: remove duplicates from the same input source or deliberately split defaults and overrides across separate files.- Interpolation error: check that referenced options exist and that literal percent signs are doubled. Use
raw=Truefor one raw read or disable interpolation if the file’s values are not interpolation expressions. - Conversion error from a typed getter: check the value’s spelling and format; use a string getter to inspect it, then correct the configuration or define the intended custom converter.
- Failure while writing: ensure the destination is open in text mode and investigate whether the parser representation can be read back, especially on Python 3.14 and later.
Choosing ConfigParser for an application
configparser is a good fit when your application needs section-based INI configuration, defaults, interpolation, and simple type conversion. It is not a full schema validator: applications should still validate required settings, ranges, and relationships after parsing. If you need a different configuration format, the Python documentation also points to tomllib and TOML, a well-specified format designed as an improvement over INI.
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