---
title: "I \u003c3 plain text files"
description: "I really enjoy working with plain text files. More software should work with plain text files. It obviously depends on what kind/amount of information you want to store, but I think for a lot of use …"
image: https://deterministic.space/ode-to-plain-text-files-og.png
url: https://deterministic.space/ode-to-plain-text-files.html
author: "Pascal Hertleif"
date: 2016-09-09
categories: ["tech"]
---

# I <3 plain text files

I really enjoy working with plain text files. More software should work with plain text files. It obviously depends on what kind/amount of information you want to store, but I think for a lot of use cases text files are a very good solution.

## Version control everything

Text files can easily be put into a git repository to be versioned, compared, tracked, and shared.

I have not seen a database system that easily allows you all of that.

## App configs need not be complex

Instead of putting configuration values into huge XML files (XML != 'plain') that cannot be edited by regular humans, it makes sense to choose a readable (approaching 'plain') text format, like YAML or TOML. JSON is okay, but not as nice as TOML.

## Autocomplete with JSON Schema

VSCode supports autocomplete based on JSON Schema files. Doing the same for similar formats should be doable.

## Sanity check, linters

When human and machine want to read, edit, and understand the same file, it usually pays off to let the machine a bit of sanity checking. Linters and formatters are your friend.

- - - -

## See also

Andre not only wrote about this a year before I did, but his arguments are also much better: [Plain Text Reigns Supreme](https://llogiq.github.io/2015/09/14/plaintext.html).