# kdl-org/kdl

the kdl document language specifications

Repository: https://github.com/kdl-org/kdl
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/kdl
Homepage: https://kdl.dev
Language: Makefile
License: NOASSERTION
License Family: other
Topics: kdl, serialization, language, specification
Last push: 2026-08-10T15:45:15+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 66/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 97, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2091, "days_push": 23, "days_rel": 619, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1589, forks 82 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:08.117602+00:00)

## What it is
The official specification repository for KDL, a small document language with XML-like node semantics usable as both a serialization format and a configuration language, like JSON, YAML, or XML. It includes the finalized KDL 2.0.0 spec plus companion specs for a KDL Query Language and a KDL Schema Language.

## Use cases
- find a human-friendly alternative to yaml or json for config files
- read the kdl document language specification
- learn kdl syntax for configuration files
- implement a kdl parser for my language
- migrate from kdl 1.0 to kdl 2.0
- query kdl documents with css-like selectors
- define schemas for kdl documents

## When to choose
- you need the authoritative reference for implementing or using KDL
- you want a config/serialization format that is pleasant to hand-write
- you need formal specs for querying or validating KDL documents

## When to avoid
- you need a ready-to-use parser library rather than a specification
- you need a battle-tested format with broad ecosystem tooling like YAML or TOML
- you expect frequent language changes, since KDL 2.0.0 is finalized

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: stable
- function: serialization, parser, documentation
- domain: programming-languages, documentation, developer-tools
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: kdl, specification, configuration-language, document-language, query-language, schema-language

## Member repositories
- kdl-org/kdl (main) score 66

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:08.117602+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T03:54:57.447627+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/kdl-org/kdl (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:08.117602+00:00, sha 00d2d1a6e38b)
  - homepage: https://kdl.dev (fetched 2026-08-29T11:25:31.330542+00:00, sha 6c68cf042138)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.