Convert MySQL my.cnf Configuration to JSON

MySQL my.cnf to JSON

MySQL's my.cnf (or my.ini on Windows) is the primary configuration file for the MySQL database server and client programs. It uses INI format with sections for different MySQL programs.

Example my.cnf

[client]
port = 3306
socket = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
default-character-set = utf8mb4

[mysqld]
port = 3306
socket = /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
datadir = /var/lib/mysql
bind-address = 127.0.0.1
max_connections = 200
max_allowed_packet = 64M
innodb_buffer_pool_size = 1G
innodb_log_file_size = 256M
innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit = 1
slow_query_log = 1
slow_query_log_file = /var/log/mysql/slow.log
long_query_time = 2

[mysqldump]
quick
max_allowed_packet = 64M

Generated JSON

{
  "client": {
    "port": 3306,
    "socket": "/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock",
    "default-character-set": "utf8mb4"
  },
  "mysqld": {
    "port": 3306,
    "socket": "/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock",
    "datadir": "/var/lib/mysql",
    "bind-address": "127.0.0.1",
    "max_connections": 200,
    "max_allowed_packet": "64M",
    "innodb_buffer_pool_size": "1G",
    "innodb_log_file_size": "256M",
    "innodb_flush_log_at_trx_commit": 1,
    "slow_query_log": 1,
    "slow_query_log_file": "/var/log/mysql/slow.log",
    "long_query_time": 2
  },
  "mysqldump": {
    "quick": true,
    "max_allowed_packet": "64M"
  }
}

MySQL-Specific Considerations

• Valueless keys: quick under [mysqldump] is a boolean flag with no = sign. The converter treats it as true with the "Valueless keys as true" option
• Size suffixes: Values like 64M, 1G, 256M contain unit suffixes and remain as strings
• Hyphenated keys: MySQL accepts both bind-address and bind_address; the converter preserves the original form
• Multiple programs: Each section ([client], [mysqld], [mysqldump]) configures a different MySQL program
• Shared options: Some keys like port and socket appear in multiple sections with the same or different values