A Java `.properties` file is a `key=value` (or `key:value`) text format used by every Java/Kotlin/Spring/Gradle/Log4j project for configuration. Keys traditionally use dot-separated namespaces (`server.port`, `spring.datasource.url`). Supports backslash escapes (`\n`, `\t`, `\uXXXX`) and `#`/`!` comments. Standardized by `java.util.Properties` since JDK 1.0.
How to open
Any text editor. IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, and VS Code with Java extensions provide auto-completion and validation against the surrounding Java/Spring code.