diff --git a/internal/encoding/javaproperties/codec.go b/internal/encoding/javaproperties/codec.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac3b66b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/encoding/javaproperties/codec.go
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+package javaproperties
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/magiconair/properties"
+	"github.com/spf13/cast"
+)
+
+// Codec implements the encoding.Encoder and encoding.Decoder interfaces for Java properties encoding.
+type Codec struct {
+	KeyDelimiter string
+}
+
+func (c Codec) Encode(v map[string]interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
+	p := properties.NewProperties()
+
+	flattened := map[string]interface{}{}
+
+	flattened = flattenAndMergeMap(flattened, v, "", c.keyDelimiter())
+
+	keys := make([]string, 0, len(flattened))
+
+	for key := range flattened {
+		keys = append(keys, key)
+	}
+
+	sort.Strings(keys)
+
+	for _, key := range keys {
+		_, _, err := p.Set(key, cast.ToString(flattened[key]))
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+
+	_, err := p.WriteComment(&buf, "#", properties.UTF8)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	return buf.Bytes(), nil
+}
+
+func (c Codec) Decode(b []byte, v map[string]interface{}) error {
+	p, err := properties.Load(b, properties.UTF8)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	for _, key := range p.Keys() {
+		// ignore existence check: we know it's there
+		value, _ := p.Get(key)
+
+		// recursively build nested maps
+		path := strings.Split(key, c.keyDelimiter())
+		lastKey := strings.ToLower(path[len(path)-1])
+		deepestMap := deepSearch(v, path[0:len(path)-1])
+
+		// set innermost value
+		deepestMap[lastKey] = value
+	}
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (c Codec) keyDelimiter() string {
+	if c.KeyDelimiter == "" {
+		return "."
+	}
+
+	return c.KeyDelimiter
+}
diff --git a/internal/encoding/javaproperties/codec_test.go b/internal/encoding/javaproperties/codec_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8009707
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/encoding/javaproperties/codec_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+package javaproperties
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// original form of the data
+const original = `# key-value pair
+key = value
+map.key = value
+`
+
+// encoded form of the data
+const encoded = `key = value
+map.key = value
+`
+
+// Viper's internal representation
+var data = map[string]interface{}{
+	"key": "value",
+	"map": map[string]interface{}{
+		"key": "value",
+	},
+}
+
+func TestCodec_Encode(t *testing.T) {
+	codec := Codec{}
+
+	b, err := codec.Encode(data)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	if encoded != string(b) {
+		t.Fatalf("decoded value does not match the expected one\nactual:   %#v\nexpected: %#v", string(b), encoded)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCodec_Decode(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("OK", func(t *testing.T) {
+		codec := Codec{}
+
+		v := map[string]interface{}{}
+
+		err := codec.Decode([]byte(original), v)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		if !reflect.DeepEqual(data, v) {
+			t.Fatalf("decoded value does not match the expected one\nactual:   %#v\nexpected: %#v", v, data)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("InvalidData", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Skip("TODO: needs invalid data example")
+
+		codec := Codec{}
+
+		v := map[string]interface{}{}
+
+		codec.Decode([]byte(``), v)
+
+		if len(v) > 0 {
+			t.Fatalf("expected map to be empty when data is invalid\nactual: %#v", v)
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/encoding/javaproperties/map_utils.go b/internal/encoding/javaproperties/map_utils.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..93755ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/encoding/javaproperties/map_utils.go
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+package javaproperties
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cast"
+)
+
+// THIS CODE IS COPIED HERE: IT SHOULD NOT BE MODIFIED
+// AT SOME POINT IT WILL BE MOVED TO A COMMON PLACE
+// deepSearch scans deep maps, following the key indexes listed in the
+// sequence "path".
+// The last value is expected to be another map, and is returned.
+//
+// In case intermediate keys do not exist, or map to a non-map value,
+// a new map is created and inserted, and the search continues from there:
+// the initial map "m" may be modified!
+func deepSearch(m map[string]interface{}, path []string) map[string]interface{} {
+	for _, k := range path {
+		m2, ok := m[k]
+		if !ok {
+			// intermediate key does not exist
+			// => create it and continue from there
+			m3 := make(map[string]interface{})
+			m[k] = m3
+			m = m3
+			continue
+		}
+		m3, ok := m2.(map[string]interface{})
+		if !ok {
+			// intermediate key is a value
+			// => replace with a new map
+			m3 = make(map[string]interface{})
+			m[k] = m3
+		}
+		// continue search from here
+		m = m3
+	}
+	return m
+}
+
+// flattenAndMergeMap recursively flattens the given map into a new map
+// Code is based on the function with the same name in tha main package.
+// TODO: move it to a common place
+func flattenAndMergeMap(shadow map[string]interface{}, m map[string]interface{}, prefix string, delimiter string) map[string]interface{} {
+	if shadow != nil && prefix != "" && shadow[prefix] != nil {
+		// prefix is shadowed => nothing more to flatten
+		return shadow
+	}
+	if shadow == nil {
+		shadow = make(map[string]interface{})
+	}
+
+	var m2 map[string]interface{}
+	if prefix != "" {
+		prefix += delimiter
+	}
+	for k, val := range m {
+		fullKey := prefix + k
+		switch val.(type) {
+		case map[string]interface{}:
+			m2 = val.(map[string]interface{})
+		case map[interface{}]interface{}:
+			m2 = cast.ToStringMap(val)
+		default:
+			// immediate value
+			shadow[strings.ToLower(fullKey)] = val
+			continue
+		}
+		// recursively merge to shadow map
+		shadow = flattenAndMergeMap(shadow, m2, fullKey, delimiter)
+	}
+	return shadow
+}