MAML

# Minimal Abstract Markup Language
{
  project: "MAML"
  tags: [
    "minimal"
    "readable"
  ]

  # Array of objects
  examples: [
    { name: "JSON", born: 2001 }
    { name: "MAML", born: 2025 }
  ]

  notes: """
This is a multiline raw strings.
Keeps formatting as-is.
"""
}

Rationale ​

JSON is the most popular data-interchange format. But it isn't a very good configuration language.

MAML keeps JSON’s simplicity and adds only the needed bits for a good configuration language:

1. Comments
2. Multiline raw strings
3. Optional commas
4. Optional key quotes
5. Ordered key-value objects

MAML is human-readable and easy to parse.

Editor Support ​

• IntelliJ IDEA
  maml-intellij-plugin (source)

• VS Code
  vscode-maml (source)

• Vim & Neovim
  vim-maml

• CodeMirror
  codemirror-maml

Tools ​

• mx – a CLI tool for pretty printing and querying MAML files
• to-maml – a CLI tool for converting to MAML

Implementations ​

Follow the specification for creating new implementations.

• JavaScript
  maml MAML v0.1
  maml-ast MAML v0.1
  

• Python
  maml-py MAML v0.1

• C
  libmaml MAML v0.1

• Java
  maml-java MAML v0.1

• Rust
  maml-rs MAML v0.1

• Zig
  maml-zig MAML v0.1

• Go
  go-maml MAML v0.1

• PHP
  maml-php MAML v0.1

• Grammar
  maml-grammar MAML v0.1 for TextMate, VitePress, Shiki, Linguist

Projects Using MAML ​

• google/zx – A tool for writing better scripts
• Envi – Environment file management
• Tachi Code – Browser-native code editor
• Deployer – A deployment tool for PHP

_{Add your project too}

FAQ ​

1. What’s the difference between MAML and JSONC/JSON5?
2. Why not Zig-style multiline?
3. What about YAML?