explaingit

jellybrick/inih

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2017-04-21

CAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TLDR

inih is a tiny C library for parsing .INI configuration files, small enough for embedded systems and microcontrollers.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Parses INI files
      Reads settings line by line
      Calls a callback per setting
    Tech stack
      C
      C++ wrapper
    Use cases
      Configure embedded devices
      Load CLI tool settings
      Read Python-style config
    Audience
      Embedded developers
      C or C plus plus programmers
    Design
      Tiny footprint
      Low memory use

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Load settings like a network address or device name on an embedded or IoT device

USE CASE 2

Read options for a command-line tool from an .INI file instead of flags every run

USE CASE 3

Parse Python ConfigParser-style config files in a C or C++ project

USE CASE 4

Add configuration file support to a resource-constrained microcontroller project

What is it built with?

CC++

How does it compare?

jellybrick/inihac000/find-flvacc4github/kdenlive-omnifade
Stars——0
LanguageCCC
Last pushed2017-04-212013-04-05—
MaintenanceDormantDormant—
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity2/52/52/5
Audiencedeveloperdevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Just a couple of source files to drop into your project, no external dependencies.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to use inih's C callback API to read a setting from an .INI config file.
Prompt 2
Help me use the C++ wrapper to load an .INI file into a lookup table I can query by name.
Prompt 3
Explain how inih stays lightweight enough for a microcontroller with very limited memory.
Prompt 4
Walk me through adding multi-line values and comments to a config file inih can parse.

Frequently asked questions

What is inih?

inih is a tiny C library for parsing .INI configuration files, small enough for embedded systems and microcontrollers.

What language is inih written in?

Mainly C. The stack also includes C, C++.

Is inih actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2017-04-21).

How hard is inih to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is inih for?

Mainly developer.

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