---
layout: "docs"
page_title: "Commands: KV Import"
sidebar_current: "docs-commands-kv-import"
---

# Consul KV Import

Command: `consul kv import`

The `kv import` command is used to import KV pairs from the JSON representation
generated by the `kv export` command.

## Usage

Usage: `consul kv import [options] [DATA]`

#### API Options

<%= partial "docs/commands/http_api_options_client" %>
<%= partial "docs/commands/http_api_options_server" %>

## Examples

To import from a file, prepend the filename with `@`:

```
$ consul kv import @values.json
# Output
```

To import from stdin, use `-` as the data parameter:

```
$ cat values.json | consul kv import -
# Output
```

You can also pass the JSON directly, however care must be taken with shell
escaping:

```
$ consul kv import "$(cat values.json)"
# Output
```


