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tomllib Module Complexity

The tomllib module parses TOML (Tom's Obvious, Minimal Language) into dictionaries, lists and scalar values. It only reads: there is no writer. The parser is pure Python and makes one pass over the whole document, which it holds in memory together with the dictionary it builds. Available in Python 3.11+.

n is the characters in the document, and d is the parts in the longest key path: a table header's dotted parts plus those of a dotted key under it, so [a.b] followed by c.d = 1 has four. Hashing one key part is treated as O(1). Ordinary files keep d to a handful, which makes both parsing functions O(n); the d factor is paid by every key under a deep header and by every long dotted key.

Complexity Reference

Parsing

Operation	Time	Space	Notes
tomllib.loads(s, /, *, parse_float=float)	O(n·d)	O(n·d)	O(n) for ordinary documents; nesting arrays and inline tables adds nothing beyond their characters
tomllib.load(fp, /, *, parse_float=float)	O(n·d)	O(n·d)	Reads the whole binary file with one read(), decodes it as UTF-8, then parses it as loads() does; a text-mode file raises TypeError
parse_float callback	O(f) per float	O(f) per float	f = one call's cost in time and space; called once per float value with its text as written, never for integers; returning a dict or list raises ValueError

TOMLDecodeError

Operation	Time	Space	Notes
tomllib.TOMLDecodeError(msg, doc, pos)	O(pos)	O(1)	A ValueError subclass; the message's line and column are counted from the start of the document. Python 3.14+ signature, and the instance keeps doc by reference
TOMLDecodeError.msg, TOMLDecodeError.doc, TOMLDecodeError.pos, TOMLDecodeError.lineno, TOMLDecodeError.colno	O(1)	O(1)	Python 3.14+

Parsing a Document

From a String

loads() takes a str and returns a new dictionary. Tables become dictionaries, arrays become lists, and dates and times become datetime objects.

import datetime
import tomllib

document = """
title = "example"
ports = [8001, 8002]
created = 2024-01-16T10:30:00Z

[database]
server = "192.168.1.1"
enabled = true

[[users]]
name = "Alice"

[[users]]
name = "Bob"
"""

config = tomllib.loads(document)  # O(n·d), O(n) here
assert config['database'] == {'server': '192.168.1.1', 'enabled': True}
assert config['ports'] == [8001, 8002]
assert [user['name'] for user in config['users']] == ['Alice', 'Bob']
assert config['created'] == datetime.datetime(
    2024, 1, 16, 10, 30, tzinfo=datetime.timezone.utc
)

From a File

load() needs a file opened in binary mode, open(path, "rb"), because TOML is always UTF-8. It reads the whole file at once, so the bytes, the decoded text and the result are all in memory while it parses.

import io
import tomllib

data = b'name = "myapp"\nversion = "1.0.0"\n'

config = tomllib.load(io.BytesIO(data))  # O(n·d): one read(), then loads()
assert config == {'name': 'myapp', 'version': '1.0.0'}

try:
    tomllib.load(io.StringIO('name = "myapp"'))
except TypeError as error:
    assert 'binary mode' in str(error)
else:
    raise AssertionError('a text-mode file was accepted')

Key Depth

Every key/value pair checks its whole path, header included, against the tables already declared. A key under [a.b.c] therefore pays for three parts before its own, and a dotted key with p parts pays O(p²). Shallow headers and short keys keep each pair O(1) beyond its characters.

import tomllib

# The same dictionary, spelled with a header or with dotted keys
headed = tomllib.loads("[server.http]\nport = 80\nhost = 'a'\n")  # d = 3
dotted = tomllib.loads("server.http.port = 80\nserver.http.host = 'a'\n")  # d = 3
assert headed == dotted == {'server': {'http': {'port': 80, 'host': 'a'}}}

# A table cannot be declared twice, which is what the path checks enforce
try:
    tomllib.loads("[server]\nport = 80\n[server]\nhost = 'a'\n")
except tomllib.TOMLDecodeError as error:
    assert 'Cannot declare' in str(error)
else:
    raise AssertionError('a table was declared twice')

Nesting arrays and inline tables costs only their characters. They are parsed recursively, though, so nesting far enough to exhaust the recursion limit raises RecursionError.

import tomllib

nested = tomllib.loads("k = [[1, 2], {a = {b = [3]}}]")  # O(n)
assert nested == {'k': [[1, 2], {'a': {'b': [3]}}]}

too_deep = "k = " + "[" * 5000 + "]" * 5000
try:
    tomllib.loads(too_deep)
except RecursionError:
    pass
else:
    raise AssertionError('5,000 nested arrays were parsed')

Exact Floats with parse_float

parse_float receives each float's text, underscores included, so decimal.Decimal keeps every digit. It is called once per float and never for an integer, so its cost is added per float value.

import decimal
import tomllib

calls = []

def exact(text):
    calls.append(text)
    return decimal.Decimal(text)

config = tomllib.loads(
    "price = 1_000.10\nrates = [0.1, 2e3, inf]\ncount = 3\n",
    parse_float=exact,
)  # O(n·d) plus one parse_float call per float

assert config['price'] == decimal.Decimal('1000.10')
assert config['rates'][0] == decimal.Decimal('0.1')
assert config['count'] == 3  # integers never reach parse_float
assert calls == ['1_000.10', '0.1', '2e3', 'inf']

Handling Errors

A document that is not valid TOML raises TOMLDecodeError, a ValueError, with the position of the problem in its message. From Python 3.14 the same position is also available as attributes.

import sys
import tomllib

document = "name = 'myapp'\nversion = \n"

try:
    tomllib.loads(document)
except tomllib.TOMLDecodeError as error:
    assert isinstance(error, ValueError)
    assert 'line 2, column 11' in str(error)
    if sys.version_info >= (3, 14):
        assert (error.lineno, error.colno, error.msg) == (2, 11, 'Invalid value')
        assert error.doc[error.pos] == '\n'
else:
    raise AssertionError('an invalid document was parsed')

Common Patterns

Merging Over Defaults

The result is a plain dictionary, so defaults merge with ordinary dictionary operations. The merge is shallow: a table in the document replaces the whole default table.

import tomllib

defaults = {'port': 8000, 'debug': False, 'log': {'level': 'info', 'file': None}}
document = "debug = true\n[log]\nlevel = 'debug'\n"

config = {**defaults, **tomllib.loads(document)}  # O(n·d) + O(keys)
assert config['port'] == 8000
assert config['debug'] is True
assert config['log'] == {'level': 'debug'}  # 'file' went with the replaced table

Performance Best Practices

✅ Do:

• Open files with "rb" and pass them to load(), or decode yourself and call loads()
• Keep table headers shallow and dotted keys short, so d stays a small constant
• Pass parse_float=decimal.Decimal when floats must be exact; it costs one call per float

❌ Avoid:

• Very long dotted keys or deep headers in generated files: each key pays for its whole path
• Parsing untrusted input without catching RecursionError as well as TOMLDecodeError
• Re-parsing the same file on every access; parse once and keep the dictionary

Version Notes

• Python 3.11+: tomllib added
• Python 3.11.16, 3.12.14, 3.13.14, 3.14.6+: a key or table header with more dotted parts than the recursion limit in force when tomllib was imported raises RecursionError
• Python 3.14+: TOMLDecodeError takes msg, doc and pos, and exposes them with lineno and colno; any other arguments are deprecated

Related Modules

• json - the same shape of result from a JSON document
• configparser - INI files, with every value a string
• decimal - exact floats through parse_float