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YAML to JSON Converter

Convert between YAML and JSON formats online. Instant, client-side conversion with no data sent to servers.

What is a YAML to JSON Converter?

A YAML to JSON converter transforms data between two of the most popular serialization formats in software development. YAML (YAML Ain’t Markup Language) is human-friendly and widely used for configuration files — Docker Compose, Kubernetes manifests, GitHub Actions, Ansible playbooks, and CI/CD pipelines all use YAML. JSON is the standard for APIs, data exchange, and programmatic manipulation.

Our bidirectional converter handles both directions: YAML → JSON and JSON → YAML. It preserves data types, handles multi-line strings, and processes nested structures correctly.

How to Use This Converter

  1. Paste YAML into the input area and click “YAML → JSON” to convert to JSON
  2. Or paste JSON and click “JSON → YAML” to convert to YAML
  3. Review the output for correctness
  4. Copy the result for use in your configuration files or code
  5. Iterate — paste the output back in to verify round-trip conversion works

Common Use Cases

  • Kubernetes/Docker config editing — Convert YAML manifests to JSON for programmatic manipulation, then back to YAML
  • CI/CD pipeline debugging — Convert GitHub Actions or GitLab CI YAML to JSON for easier parsing and validation
  • API development — Convert YAML-defined API specs (OpenAPI/Swagger) to JSON for tools that require it
  • Configuration migration — Switch between YAML and JSON config formats when changing tools or frameworks
  • Learning YAML — Understand YAML structure by seeing the equivalent JSON representation

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I use YAML vs JSON?

Use YAML for configuration files that humans edit frequently — it’s more readable, supports comments, and is less verbose. Use JSON for data interchange between systems, API responses, and files that are primarily machine-generated and consumed.

Does YAML support comments?

Yes, YAML supports comments with #. This is one of YAML’s biggest advantages over JSON, which has no comment syntax. Comments are stripped during conversion to JSON since JSON doesn’t support them.

Can YAML represent everything JSON can?

Yes, and more. YAML is a superset of JSON — any valid JSON is also valid YAML. YAML additionally supports comments, multi-line strings, anchors/aliases (references), and more complex data types.

  • JSON Formatter — Format and validate the JSON output
  • JSON to CSV — Convert the JSON result to CSV for spreadsheets
  • Cron Parser — Parse cron expressions used in CI/CD YAML configs