Ini File

An IniFile is a very useful tool which possibly reinvents the database, but is much simpler than a database. They are easier to read than XML files, and smaller than a full fledged database. They are useful for storing settings and useful for persistence of data.

They are also known as config files and usually have the file extension .ini or .conf

How does it "reinvent" the database? It's a file format, one among many, differing from others only in syntax.