jsonargparse

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jsonargparse

Docs: https://jsonargparse.readthedocs.io/ | Source: https://github.com/mauvilsa/jsonargparse/

jsonargparse is a library for creating command-line interfaces (CLIs) and making Python apps easily configurable. It is a well-maintained project with frequent releases, adhering to high standards of development: semantic versioning, deprecation periods, changelog, automated testing, and full test coverage.

Although jsonargparse might not be widely recognized yet, it already boasts a substantial user base. Most notably, it serves as the framework behind pytorch-lightning’s LightningCLI.

The documentation is a reference that describes each feature in isolation, which is not always the best way to learn. If you would rather see the why behind the features and complete use cases built end to end, have a look at the talks and articles page, which collects presentations, blog posts and example projects.

Teaser examples

CLI with minimal boilerplate:

from jsonargparse import auto_cli

def main_function(...):  # your main parameters with type hints here
    ...  # your main code here

if __name__ == "__main__":
    auto_cli(main_function)  # parses arguments and runs main_function

Minimal boilerplate but manually parsing:

from jsonargparse import auto_parser

parser = auto_parser(main_function)
cfg = parser.parse_args()
...

Powerful argparse-like low level parsers:

from jsonargparse import ArgumentParser

parser = ArgumentParser()
parser.add_argument("--config", action="config")  # support config files
parser.add_argument("--opt", type=int | Literal["off"])  # complex arguments via type hints
parser.add_function_arguments(main_function, "function")  # add function parameters
parser.add_class_arguments(SomeClass, "class")  # add class parameters
...
cfg = parser.parse_args()
init = parser.instantiate(cfg)
...

Features

jsonargparse is user-friendly and encourages the development of clean, high-quality code. It encompasses numerous powerful features, some unique to jsonargparse, while also combining advantages found in similar packages:

Automatic creation of CLIs, like Fire, Typer, Clize and Tyro.
Use type hints for argument validation, like Typer, Tap and Tyro.
Use of docstrings for automatic generation of help, like Tap, Tyro and SimpleParsing.
Parse from configuration files and environment variables, like OmegaConf, dynaconf, confuse and configargparse.
Dataclasses support, like SimpleParsing and Tyro.

Other notable features include:

Extensive type hint support: nested types (union, optional), containers (list, dict, etc.), protocols, user-defined generics, restricted types (regex, numbers), paths, URLs, types from stubs (*.pyi), future annotations (PEP 563), and backports (PEP 604).
Keyword arguments introspection: resolving of parameters used via **kwargs.
Dependency injection: support types that expect a class instance and callables that return a class instance.
Structured configs: parse config files with more understandable non-flat hierarchies.
Config file formats: json, yaml, toml, jsonnet and extensible to more formats.
Relative paths: within config files and parsing of config paths referenced inside other configs.
Argument linking: directing parsed values to multiple parameters, preventing unnecessary interpolation in configs.
Variable interpolation: powered by OmegaConf.
Tab completion: powered by shtab or argcomplete.

Design principles

Non-intrusive/decoupled:

There is no requirement for unrelated modifications throughout a codebase, maintaining the separation of concerns principle. In simpler terms, changes should make sense even without the CLI. No need to inherit from a special class, add decorators, or use CLI-specific type hints.
Minimal boilerplate:

A recommended practice is to write code with function/class parameters having meaningful names, accurate type hints, and descriptive docstrings. Reuse these wherever they appear to automatically generate the CLI, following the don’t repeat yourself principle. A notable advantage is that when parameters are added or types changed, the CLI will remain synchronized, avoiding the need to update the CLI’s implementation.
Dependency injection:

Using as type hint a class or a callable that instantiates a class, a practice known as dependency injection, is a sound design pattern for developing loosely coupled and highly configurable software. Such type hints should be supported with minimal restrictions.

Installation

You can install using pip as:

pip install jsonargparse

By default, the only dependency installed with jsonargparse is PyYAML. However, several optional features can be enabled by specifying one or more of the following extras (optional dependencies): signatures, jsonschema, jsonnet, urls, fsspec, toml, ruamel, omegaconf, shtab, and argcomplete. Additionally, the all extras can be used to enable all optional features (excluding tab completion ones). To install jsonargparse with extras, use the following syntax:

pip install "jsonargparse[signatures,urls]"  # Enable signatures and URLs features
pip install "jsonargparse[all]"              # Enable all optional features

To install the latest development version, use the following command:

pip install "jsonargparse[signatures] @ https://github.com/mauvilsa/jsonargparse/zipball/main"

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