How Can I Safely Convert a String Representation of a Dictionary to a Python Dictionary?

Converting String Representation of Dictionary to a Dictionary

Often, we may need to convert a string representation of a dictionary, like the one given below, into an actual dictionary.

s = "{'muffin' : 'lolz', 'foo' : 'kitty'}"

It is preferable to avoid using eval for such conversions due to security concerns. Here are some safer alternatives:

Using ast.literal_eval:

Python's ast module provides a convenient function called literal_eval that is specifically designed for safely evaluating expression strings.

import ast
dict_from_string = ast.literal_eval("{'muffin' : 'lolz', 'foo' : 'kitty'}")

This method only allows for the evaluation of literals and simple expressions, making it much safer than eval.

Advantage of ast.literal_eval:

Unlike eval, ast.literal_eval restricts the evaluation to a limited set of Python literals, which prevents potential security risks associated with arbitrary code execution.

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