pyhcl

library0.4.5pypypi✓ verified 27d ago

pyhcl is a Python library for parsing HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) files and strings into Python dictionaries. It aims to be compatible with HCL versions commonly used by tools like Terraform. The library is currently at version 0.4.5 and is actively maintained with bug fixes and compatibility updates, though releases are irregular.

devops

pip install pyhcl

github ↗package ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · PYHCL

pyhcl

devopspythonv0.4.5

Install

1.6s avg

Import

43ms

Disk

16MB

Pass rate

10/ 10

Env Coverage10 / 10

glibc

3.9–3.13

musl

3.9–3.13

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v0.4.5 · pip install

no network on importno background threads

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 0.0s · import 0.044s · 18.1MB

glibc

py 3.10–3.95 runs

installs and imports cleanly · install 1.6s · import 0.042s · 19MB

16MB installed

● package 16MB

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

hcl

✓ import hcl

Parses an HCL string into a Python dictionary. The `hcl.loads()` function handles string input, while `hcl.load()` is used for file-like objects.

import hcl hcl_string = ''' variable "region" { description = "AWS region" type = string default = "us-east-1" } resource "aws_instance" "web" { ami = "ami-0abcdef1234567890" instance_type = "t2.micro" tags = { Name = "HelloWorld" } } ''' parsed_data = hcl.loads(hcl_string) print(parsed_data.get('resource')) print(parsed_data.get('variable'))

Debug

Known issues

breakingpyhcl dropped support for Python 2 in version 0.3.0. Users on older Python 2 environments must upgrade their Python version or use pyhcl < 0.3.0.

fix

Upgrade Python to 3.6+ or pin pyhcl to a version prior to 0.3.0 (e.g., `pyhcl==0.2.0`).

affects: <0.3.0

breakingThe return type of `hcl.load` and `hcl.loads` changed significantly in version 0.2.0. Previously, it returned a custom `hcl.parser.HCL` object; now, it returns a standard Python `dict`. Code expecting the old object structure will break.

fix

Update parsing logic to expect and handle a standard Python dictionary. Access data using dictionary methods like `.get()` or `[]`.

affects: <0.2.0

gotchaThe primary module for importing is `hcl`, not `pyhcl`. Developers sometimes try `from pyhcl import hcl` or `from pyhcl import load`, which will result in an `ImportError`.

fix

Always use `import hcl` to access the parsing functions.

affects: All versions

gotchaWhile `pyhcl` aims for broad HCL compatibility, it may not perfectly support every nuance or the very latest syntax of the evolving HCL specification, especially complex expressions or new language features introduced in newer HCL versions.

fix

For critical or highly complex HCL parsing, validate `pyhcl`'s output against the official HCL parser or actual tool behavior. Consider simpler HCL structures if encountering parsing issues.

affects: All versions

Errors

Common errors & fixes

ValueError: Line X, column Y: unexpected COMMA

PyHCL, especially older versions or with certain HCL configurations, does not correctly handle trailing commas in lists or maps, which are valid in HCL and often enforced by formatters.

fix

Remove trailing commas from lists and maps in your HCL input. For example, change `["a", "b",]` to `["a", "b"]`.

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'ply'

The 'ply' (Python Lex-Yacc) library, a dependency of `pyhcl`, is not installed or not correctly found by the Python environment during `pyhcl` installation or import.

fix

Install `ply` explicitly before or alongside `pyhcl` using `pip install ply pyhcl` or by installing `ply` first (`pip install ply`) and then `pyhcl` (`pip install pyhcl`).

ValueError: Empty string

`pyhcl.loads()` (or `pyhcl.load()` for an empty file) raises a ValueError when attempting to parse an empty string or an empty HCL file, as it expects valid HCL content.

fix

Ensure that the string or file passed to `pyhcl.loads()` or `pyhcl.load()` is not empty and contains valid HCL syntax. Implement a check for empty input before parsing.

ValueError: Line X, column Y: unexpected TOKEN (when parsing HCL2 syntax)

`pyhcl` does not fully support HCL2 syntax, which is used by modern Terraform versions (e.g., Terraform 0.12 and newer). Attempting to parse HCL2 files with `pyhcl` will result in various syntax errors.

fix

For HCL2 files, use a library specifically designed for HCL2, such as `python-hcl2`. Install it with `pip install python-hcl2` and then use `import hcl2`.

Upgrade

Version history

0.4.5latest on PyPI · released Sep 1, 2023

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

9 hits · last 30 days

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Resources

githubhttps://github.com/virtuald/pyhcl ↗

packagehttps://pypi.org/project/pyhcl/ ↗