diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index ba1affa1e6..1ed1882656 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cfg-if 1.0.0",
  "cipher",
  "cpufeatures",
- "opaque-debug",
+ "opaque-debug 0.3.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -371,13 +371,25 @@ dependencies = [
  "digest 0.10.1",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "block-buffer"
+version = "0.7.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "c0940dc441f31689269e10ac70eb1002a3a1d3ad1390e030043662eb7fe4688b"
+dependencies = [
+ "block-padding 0.1.5",
+ "byte-tools",
+ "byteorder",
+ "generic-array 0.12.4",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "block-buffer"
 version = "0.9.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4152116fd6e9dadb291ae18fc1ec3575ed6d84c29642d97890f4b4a3417297e4"
 dependencies = [
- "block-padding",
+ "block-padding 0.2.1",
  "generic-array 0.14.5",
 ]
 
@@ -390,6 +402,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "generic-array 0.14.5",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "block-padding"
+version = "0.1.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "fa79dedbb091f449f1f39e53edf88d5dbe95f895dae6135a8d7b881fb5af73f5"
+dependencies = [
+ "byte-tools",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "block-padding"
 version = "0.2.1"
@@ -481,6 +502,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "serde",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "byte-tools"
+version = "0.3.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e3b5ca7a04898ad4bcd41c90c5285445ff5b791899bb1b0abdd2a2aa791211d7"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "byte-unit"
 version = "4.0.13"
@@ -1390,6 +1417,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "synstructure",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "fake-simd"
+version = "0.1.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e88a8acf291dafb59c2d96e8f59828f3838bb1a70398823ade51a84de6a6deed"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "fast-math"
 version = "0.1.1"
@@ -2139,6 +2172,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "wasm-bindgen",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "json5"
+version = "0.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "96b0db21af676c1ce64250b5f40f3ce2cf27e4e47cb91ed91eb6fe9350b430c1"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_derive",
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "jsonrpc-client-transports"
 version = "18.0.0"
@@ -2446,6 +2490,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "hashbrown 0.11.2",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "maplit"
+version = "1.0.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3e2e65a1a2e43cfcb47a895c4c8b10d1f4a61097f9f254f183aee60cad9c651d"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "matches"
 version = "0.1.9"
@@ -2782,6 +2832,12 @@ version = "1.8.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "692fcb63b64b1758029e0a96ee63e049ce8c5948587f2f7208df04625e5f6b56"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "opaque-debug"
+version = "0.2.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2839e79665f131bdb5782e51f2c6c9599c133c6098982a54c794358bf432529c"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "opaque-debug"
 version = "0.3.0"
@@ -2991,6 +3047,40 @@ dependencies = [
  "ucd-trie",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_derive"
+version = "2.1.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "833d1ae558dc601e9a60366421196a8d94bc0ac980476d0b67e1d0988d72b2d0"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_generator",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_generator"
+version = "2.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "99b8db626e31e5b81787b9783425769681b347011cc59471e33ea46d2ea0cf55"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_meta",
+ "proc-macro2 1.0.32",
+ "quote 1.0.10",
+ "syn 1.0.81",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_meta"
+version = "2.1.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "54be6e404f5317079812fc8f9f5279de376d8856929e21c184ecf6bbd692a11d"
+dependencies = [
+ "maplit",
+ "pest",
+ "sha-1 0.8.2",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "petgraph"
 version = "0.6.0"
@@ -3066,7 +3156,7 @@ checksum = "8419d2b623c7c0896ff2d5d96e2cb4ede590fed28fcc34934f4c33c036e620a1"
 dependencies = [
  "cfg-if 1.0.0",
  "cpufeatures",
- "opaque-debug",
+ "opaque-debug 0.3.0",
  "universal-hash",
 ]
 
@@ -4039,6 +4129,18 @@ dependencies = [
  "syn 1.0.81",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "sha-1"
+version = "0.8.2"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "f7d94d0bede923b3cea61f3f1ff57ff8cdfd77b400fb8f9998949e0cf04163df"
+dependencies = [
+ "block-buffer 0.7.3",
+ "digest 0.8.1",
+ "fake-simd",
+ "opaque-debug 0.2.3",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "sha-1"
 version = "0.9.8"
@@ -4049,7 +4151,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cfg-if 1.0.0",
  "cpufeatures",
  "digest 0.9.0",
- "opaque-debug",
+ "opaque-debug 0.3.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4068,7 +4170,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "cfg-if 1.0.0",
  "cpufeatures",
  "digest 0.9.0",
- "opaque-debug",
+ "opaque-debug 0.3.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4091,7 +4193,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "block-buffer 0.9.0",
  "digest 0.9.0",
  "keccak",
- "opaque-debug",
+ "opaque-debug 0.3.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4209,7 +4311,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "httparse",
  "log 0.4.14",
  "rand 0.8.4",
- "sha-1",
+ "sha-1 0.9.8",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -4290,10 +4392,9 @@ version = "1.10.0"
 dependencies = [
  "bs58 0.4.0",
  "crossbeam-channel",
+ "json5",
  "libloading",
  "log 0.4.14",
- "serde",
- "serde_derive",
  "serde_json",
  "solana-accountsdb-plugin-interface",
  "solana-measure",
@@ -6991,7 +7092,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "log 0.4.14",
  "rand 0.8.4",
  "rustls 0.20.0",
- "sha-1",
+ "sha-1 0.9.8",
  "thiserror",
  "url 2.2.2",
  "utf-8",
diff --git a/accountsdb-plugin-manager/Cargo.toml b/accountsdb-plugin-manager/Cargo.toml
index a82091f6bd..5d3b35acd1 100644
--- a/accountsdb-plugin-manager/Cargo.toml
+++ b/accountsdb-plugin-manager/Cargo.toml
@@ -12,10 +12,9 @@ documentation = "https://docs.rs/solana-validator"
 [dependencies]
 bs58 = "0.4.0"
 crossbeam-channel = "0.5"
+json5 = "0.4.1"
 libloading = "0.7.3"
 log = "0.4.11"
-serde = "1.0.134"
-serde_derive = "1.0.103"
 serde_json = "1.0.75"
 solana-accountsdb-plugin-interface = { path = "../accountsdb-plugin-interface", version = "=1.10.0" }
 solana-measure = { path = "../measure", version = "=1.10.0" }
diff --git a/accountsdb-plugin-manager/src/accountsdb_plugin_service.rs b/accountsdb-plugin-manager/src/accountsdb_plugin_service.rs
index 25c74bf262..9e274c04d0 100644
--- a/accountsdb-plugin-manager/src/accountsdb_plugin_service.rs
+++ b/accountsdb-plugin-manager/src/accountsdb_plugin_service.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ use {
     },
     crossbeam_channel::Receiver,
     log::*,
-    serde_json,
     solana_rpc::{
         optimistically_confirmed_bank_tracker::BankNotification,
         transaction_notifier_interface::TransactionNotifierLock,
@@ -156,12 +155,12 @@ impl AccountsDbPluginService {
             )));
         }
 
-        let result: serde_json::Value = match serde_json::from_str(&contents) {
+        let result: serde_json::Value = match json5::from_str(&contents) {
             Ok(value) => value,
             Err(err) => {
                 return Err(AccountsdbPluginServiceError::InvalidConfigFileFormat(
                     format!(
-                        "The config file {:?} is not in a valid Json format, error: {:?}",
+                        "The config file {:?} is not in a valid Json5 format, error: {:?}",
                         accountsdb_plugin_config_file, err
                     ),
                 ));
diff --git a/docs/src/developing/plugins/accountsdb_plugin.md b/docs/src/developing/plugins/accountsdb_plugin.md
index 0a5e51d36c..ba7ccce411 100644
--- a/docs/src/developing/plugins/accountsdb_plugin.md
+++ b/docs/src/developing/plugins/accountsdb_plugin.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ pub unsafe extern "C" fn _create_plugin() -> *mut dyn AccountsDbPlugin {
 A plugin implementation can implement the `on_load` method to initialize itself.
 This function is invoked after a plugin is dynamically loaded into the validator
 when it starts. The configuration of the plugin is controlled by a configuration
-file in JSON format. The JSON file must have a field `libpath` that points
+file in JSON5 format. The JSON5 file must have a field `libpath` that points
 to the full path name of the shared library implementing the plugin, and may
 have other configuration information, like connection parameters for the external
 database. The plugin configuration file is specified by the validator's CLI