~/tools/yaml-to-json

YAML to JSON Converter

Convert YAML to JSON or JSON to YAML instantly — real-time conversion, syntax highlighting, file upload & download. Runs entirely in your browser.

// How to use

1. Select mode (YAML→JSON or JSON→YAML)
2. Paste input or upload a file
3. Output appears instantly on the right
4. Copy output or download as file
5. Use Swap to reverse direction
* all conversion happens in browser

100% client-side — your data never leaves the browser

yaml → json

// Mode

// Indent

YAML Inputyaml

JSON Outputjson

// output will appear here

// YAML → JSON

key: value{ "key": "value" }

list:\n - a\n - b["a", "b"]

nested:\n x: 1{ "nested": { "x": 1 } }

true / false / nulltrue / false / null

// YAML Types

Stringbare word or quoted

Number42, 3.14, 1e5

Booleantrue, false, yes, no

Nullnull, ~, (empty)

// Common Pitfalls

TabsUse spaces, never tabs

Indent consistencyAll siblings must align

Special charsQuote strings with : # &

Trailing commasNot valid in JSON

What is YAML?

YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialisation standard. It was designed to be easy to write and easy to read, making it a popular choice for configuration files, CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI), Kubernetes manifests, Docker Compose files, and Ansible playbooks.

Unlike JSON, YAML supports comments, multi-line strings, and multiple documents in a single file. It uses indentation (spaces only — never tabs) to express structure, which makes it more concise than JSON for deeply nested data.

YAML vs JSON — Key Differences

Comments

Supported (# prefix)

Not supported

Syntax

Indentation-based

Braces & brackets

Verbosity

Concise, minimal quotes

Explicit, all strings quoted

Multi-line strings

| (literal) or > (folded)

\n escape only

Data types

Richer (dates, binary, etc.)

String, number, bool, null

Readability

Common Use Cases

CI/CD Configuration

GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Bitbucket Pipelines all use YAML for pipeline definitions. Convert to JSON for tooling that expects structured data.

Kubernetes Manifests

K8s uses YAML for all resource definitions. Convert to JSON when working with the API directly or using kubectl with JSON patches.

Docker Compose

Compose files are YAML. Convert to JSON for validation, documentation generation, or integration with JSON-only tools.

API Development

OpenAPI/Swagger specs can be written in YAML for readability, then converted to JSON for tools that require JSON Schema format.

Config Migration

Migrate application config between formats. Many tools accept either YAML or JSON — converting lets you standardise on one format.

Data Interchange

Convert configuration data from human-friendly YAML into JSON for storage in databases, REST APIs, or message queues.