GoKawiilNew config format SOML released as draft spec by Sindre Sorhus
A new configuration file format called SOML (Sindre's Objectively Marvelous Language) has been published as a draft specification. It aims to combine JSON's strict, unambiguous parsing with YAML's readability, adding native support for comments, dates, instants, durations, and block strings while requiring no quotes on keys or braces at the top level. The author describes it as a draft and is inviting feedback from the community.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Configuration file formats shape how developers write and debug everyday infrastructure files, and ambiguous type coercion in YAML (such as 'no' becoming false) has historically caused real production bugs. By making a value's type derive strictly from its syntax, SOML could reduce a class of config errors, though its adoption will depend on tooling support and whether implementations consistently follow the proposed conformance suite. As a draft spec, its design details and ecosystem support could still change substantially before any wider use.
- SOML is a new draft config format aiming to merge JSON's strictness with YAML's readability
- It adds native types for dates, instants, durations, and block strings, with types determined only by syntax
- The author has published it as a draft spec and is seeking public feedback before finalizing it
Source: github.com, 2026-11-02
Published there as: “SOML – A Config Format for Humans”
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