pyykin

pyykin is an open-source Python library that provides a lightweight data serialization and deserialization toolkit inspired by YAML. It aims to offer a minimal, fast, and memory-efficient solution for loading configuration files and exchanging data between components while avoiding the complexity of full YAML processing. The project emphasizes a small footprint, a straightforward API, and predictable behavior across platforms.

Key features include a streaming parser suitable for large files, incremental decoding, a safe loader for untrusted input, and a simple round‑trip interface for loading and dumping Python data structures such as dicts, lists, strings, numbers, and booleans. The implementation favors readability and portability, with optional C extensions to improve performance and a dependency surface kept deliberately small.

The API centers on two pairs: loads/dumps for string data and load/dump for file-like objects. Typical use involves parsing a configuration file or transmitting configuration data between services. The format supported is a YAML-inspired subset; advanced YAML features are intentionally limited to reduce complexity.

History and development: pyykin was started by a community of Python developers in 2021 to provide a simpler alternative to heavier YAML libraries. It is maintained via an open-source repository with community contributions, issue tracking, and periodic releases. The project uses the MIT license and welcomes contributions, bug reports, and feature requests.

See also: PyYAML, ruamel.yaml, YAML-compatible libraries.