diff --git a/src/mpl/include/mpl.h b/src/mpl/include/mpl.h
index 412579536bd..788cef57537 100644
--- a/src/mpl/include/mpl.h
+++ b/src/mpl/include/mpl.h
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 #include "mpl_gavl.h"
 #include "mpl_initlock.h"
 #include "mpl_misc.h"
+#include "mpl_hash.h"
 
 int MPL_rankmap_str_to_array(char *mapping, int sz, int *out_nodemap);
 int MPL_rankmap_array_to_str(int *nodemap, int sz, char **out_mapping_str);
diff --git a/src/mpl/include/mpl_hash.h b/src/mpl/include/mpl_hash.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f900e67d223
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mpl/include/mpl_hash.h
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#ifndef MPL_HASH_H_INCLUDED
+#define MPL_HASH_H_INCLUDED
+
+struct strpool {
+    int i_str;
+    int i_pool;
+    int n_str;
+    size_t pool_size;
+    int *pn_str;
+    unsigned char *pc_pool;
+};
+
+struct MPL_hash {
+    int n_size;
+    int n_count;
+    char *p_exist;
+    int *p_key;
+    struct strpool pool;
+    int *p_val;
+};
+
+struct MPL_hash *MPL_hash_new(void);
+int MPL_hash_has(struct MPL_hash *hv, const char *s_key);
+void MPL_hash_set(struct MPL_hash *hv, const char *s_key, const char *s_value);
+char *MPL_hash_get(struct MPL_hash *hv, const char *s_key);
+void MPL_hash_free(struct MPL_hash *hv);
+
+#endif /* MPL_HASH_H_INCLUDED */
diff --git a/src/mpl/src/str/Makefile.mk b/src/mpl/src/str/Makefile.mk
index 7bea9a4d38b..6e822ec0310 100644
--- a/src/mpl/src/str/Makefile.mk
+++ b/src/mpl/src/str/Makefile.mk
@@ -3,4 +3,8 @@
 ##     See COPYRIGHT in top-level directory
 ##
 
-lib@MPLLIBNAME@_la_SOURCES += src/str/mpl_str.c src/str/mpl_argstr.c src/str/mpl_arg_serial.c
+lib@MPLLIBNAME@_la_SOURCES += \
+    src/str/mpl_str.c \
+    src/str/mpl_argstr.c \
+    src/str/mpl_arg_serial.c \
+    src/str/mpl_hash.c
diff --git a/src/mpl/src/str/mpl_hash.c b/src/mpl/src/str/mpl_hash.c
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..57812f34769
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/mpl/src/str/mpl_hash.c
@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+/*
+*  Copyright (C) by Argonne National Laboratory.
+*      See COPYRIGHT in top-level directory.
+*/
+
+/** Rationale:
+ *    An open addressing hash implementation specialized for string keys and string
+ *    values. All strings are stored in a managed string pool in a insertion only
+ *    manner. Deletion is achieved by simply overwrite the hash item with sentinel
+ *    value/NULL. Deletion and reassignement will result in expired strings still
+ *    being held in memory, which may be a concern if the application requires
+ *    frequent deletion and modification and memory consumption is of concern. All
+ *    memory will be released upon final free.
+ *
+ *    Compared to uthash.h, the usage interface is cleaner and more intuitive --
+ *    hash_new, hash_set, hash_get, hash_has, and hash_free. In comparison, uthash
+ *    requires extra data structure, does not manage string memory, and the code is
+ *    more complex. This implementation is faster than uthash as well.
+ */
+
+#include "mpl.h"
+#include "mpl_hash.h"
+
+#define STRPOOL_STR(strpool, i) \
+    (char *) ((strpool)->pc_pool + (strpool)->pn_str[i])
+
+#define STRPOOL_STRLEN(strpool, i) \
+    ((strpool)->pn_str[(i)+1] - (strpool)->pn_str[i] - 1)
+
+static int f_strhash_lookup(void *hash, unsigned char *key, int keylen);
+static int f_strhash_lookup_left(void *hash, unsigned char *key, int keylen);
+static int f_addto_strpool(struct strpool *p_strpool, const char *s, int n);
+static void f_strhash_resize(void *hash, int n_size);
+static void f_resize_strpool_n(struct strpool *p_strpool, int n_size, int n_avg);
+
+struct MPL_hash *MPL_hash_new(void)
+{
+    struct MPL_hash *hv;
+
+    hv = (struct MPL_hash *) calloc(1, sizeof(struct MPL_hash));
+    return hv;
+}
+
+int MPL_hash_has(struct MPL_hash *hv, const char *s_key)
+{
+    int k;
+
+    k = f_strhash_lookup(hv, (unsigned char *) s_key, strlen(s_key));
+    return hv->p_exist[k];
+}
+
+void MPL_hash_set(struct MPL_hash *hv, const char *s_key, const char *s_value)
+{
+    int k;
+
+    k = f_strhash_lookup_left(hv, (unsigned char *) s_key, strlen(s_key));
+    hv->p_val[k] = f_addto_strpool(&hv->pool, s_value, strlen(s_value));
+}
+
+char *MPL_hash_get(struct MPL_hash *hv, const char *s_key)
+{
+    int k;
+    struct strpool *p_strpool;
+
+    k = f_strhash_lookup(hv, (unsigned char *) s_key, strlen(s_key));
+    if (hv->p_exist[k]) {
+        p_strpool = &hv->pool;
+        return STRPOOL_STR(p_strpool, hv->p_val[k]);
+    } else {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+}
+
+void MPL_hash_free(struct MPL_hash *hv)
+{
+    MPL_free(hv->p_key);
+    MPL_free(hv->p_exist);
+    MPL_free(hv->p_val);
+    MPL_free(hv->pool.pn_str);
+    MPL_free(hv->pool.pc_pool);
+    MPL_free(hv);
+}
+
+int f_strhash_lookup(void *hash, unsigned char *key, int keylen)
+{
+    struct MPL_hash *h = hash;
+    unsigned int tu_h;
+    int k;
+    struct strpool *p_strpool;
+
+    if (keylen == 0) {
+        keylen = strlen((char *) key);
+    }
+    if (h->n_size == 0) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+    tu_h = 2166136261u;
+    for (int i = 0; i < keylen; i++) {
+        tu_h = tu_h ^ key[i];
+        tu_h = tu_h * 16777619;
+    }
+    k = (int) (tu_h % h->n_size);
+    p_strpool = &h->pool;
+
+    while (1) {
+        if (!h->p_exist[k]) {
+            return k;
+        } else {
+            if ((STRPOOL_STRLEN(p_strpool, h->p_key[k]) == keylen) &&
+                (strncmp(STRPOOL_STR(p_strpool, h->p_key[k]), (char *) key, keylen) == 0)) {
+                return k;
+            }
+        }
+
+        if (k == 0) {
+            k = h->n_size - 1;
+        } else {
+            k--;
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+int f_strhash_lookup_left(void *hash, unsigned char *key, int keylen)
+{
+    struct MPL_hash *h = hash;
+    int k;
+
+    if (keylen == 0) {
+        keylen = strlen((char *) key);
+    }
+    if (h->n_size == 0 || h->n_count + 1 >= h->n_size ||
+        (h->n_size > 20 && h->n_count >= h->n_size * 85 / 100)) {
+        f_strhash_resize(h, 0);
+    }
+    k = f_strhash_lookup(h, key, keylen);
+    if (!h->p_exist[k]) {
+        h->p_key[k] = f_addto_strpool(&h->pool, (char *) key, keylen);
+        h->p_exist[k] = 1;
+        h->n_count++;
+    }
+    return k;
+}
+
+int f_addto_strpool(struct strpool *p_strpool, const char *s, int n)
+{
+    int n_size;
+    int tn_avg_str_size;
+
+    if (p_strpool->i_str + 2 >= p_strpool->n_str) {
+        n_size = p_strpool->i_str * 3 / 2 + 10;
+        f_resize_strpool_n(p_strpool, n_size, 0);
+    }
+
+    if (n == 0) {
+        n = strlen(s);
+    }
+    if (p_strpool->i_pool + n >= p_strpool->pool_size) {
+        tn_avg_str_size = 6;
+        if (p_strpool->i_str > 0) {
+            tn_avg_str_size = p_strpool->i_pool / p_strpool->i_str + 1;
+        }
+        p_strpool->pool_size = tn_avg_str_size * p_strpool->n_str + n;
+        p_strpool->pc_pool = realloc(p_strpool->pc_pool, p_strpool->pool_size);
+    }
+    memcpy(p_strpool->pc_pool + p_strpool->i_pool, s, n);
+    p_strpool->i_str++;
+    p_strpool->i_pool += n;
+    assert(p_strpool->i_str > 0);
+    assert(p_strpool->i_pool > 0);
+    p_strpool->pc_pool[p_strpool->i_pool] = '\0';
+    p_strpool->i_pool += 1;
+    p_strpool->pn_str[p_strpool->i_str] = p_strpool->i_pool;
+
+    return p_strpool->i_str - 1;
+}
+
+void f_strhash_resize(void *hash, int n_size)
+{
+    struct MPL_hash *h = hash;
+    char *tp_exist = h->p_exist;
+    int *tp_key = h->p_key;
+    int tn_old_size;
+    int *tp_val = h->p_val;
+    struct strpool *p_strpool;
+    int k;
+
+    if (n_size == 0) {
+        if (h->n_size <= 0) {
+            n_size = 10;
+        } else {
+            n_size = h->n_size * 5 / 3;
+        }
+    } else if (n_size <= h->n_size) {
+        return;
+    }
+
+    tn_old_size = h->n_size;
+
+    h->n_size = n_size;
+    h->p_key = (int *) MPL_calloc(n_size, sizeof(int), MPL_MEM_OTHER);
+    h->p_exist = (char *) MPL_calloc(n_size, sizeof(char), MPL_MEM_OTHER);
+    h->p_val = (void *) MPL_calloc(n_size, sizeof(int), MPL_MEM_OTHER);
+
+    p_strpool = &h->pool;
+    if (tn_old_size > 0) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < tn_old_size; i++) {
+            if (tp_exist[i]) {
+
+                k = f_strhash_lookup(h, (unsigned char *) STRPOOL_STR(p_strpool, tp_key[i]),
+                                     STRPOOL_STRLEN(p_strpool, tp_key[i]));
+                h->p_exist[k] = 1;
+                h->p_key[k] = tp_key[i];
+                h->p_val[k] = tp_val[i];
+            }
+        }
+        MPL_free(tp_exist);
+        MPL_free(tp_key);
+        MPL_free(tp_val);
+    }
+}
+
+void f_resize_strpool_n(struct strpool *p_strpool, int n_size, int n_avg)
+{
+    if (n_size <= p_strpool->n_str) {
+        return;
+    }
+    p_strpool->n_str = n_size;
+    p_strpool->pn_str =
+        MPL_realloc(p_strpool->pn_str, p_strpool->n_str * sizeof(int), MPL_MEM_OTHER);
+
+    if (n_avg == 0) {
+        n_avg = 6;
+        if (p_strpool->i_str > 0) {
+            n_avg = p_strpool->i_pool / p_strpool->i_str + 1;
+        }
+    }
+    if (n_avg * p_strpool->n_str > p_strpool->pool_size) {
+        p_strpool->pool_size = n_avg * p_strpool->n_str;
+        p_strpool->pc_pool = MPL_realloc(p_strpool->pc_pool, p_strpool->pool_size, MPL_MEM_OTHER);
+        p_strpool->pc_pool[p_strpool->pool_size - 1] = 0;
+    }
+
+    if (p_strpool->i_str == 0) {
+        p_strpool->pn_str[0] = 0;
+    }
+}