How do I convert JSON to YAML?

Paste your JSON into the left panel of the converter above and the YAML output appears instantly on the right. You can also use command-line tools like yq, or libraries in Python (PyYAML), JavaScript (js-yaml), and other languages.

How do I convert YAML to JSON?

Click the Swap button to switch to YAML-to-JSON mode, then paste your YAML into the right panel. The JSON output appears instantly on the left. Programmatically, you can use libraries like js-yaml or PyYAML.

Is YAML better than JSON?

Neither is universally better. YAML is more readable and supports comments, making it ideal for configuration files (Kubernetes, Docker Compose, CI/CD). JSON is more widely supported by APIs, has stricter parsing rules, and is the default for web data exchange.

JSON to YAML & YAML to JSON Converter

How to Convert JSON to YAML

Paste your JSON into the left panel and the equivalent YAML appears instantly on the right. Need to go the other direction? Click Swap.

          input.json
          JSON
        

{
  "server": {
    "host": "0.0.0.0",
    "port": 8080
  },
  "database": {
    "engine": "postgres",
    "name": "myapp_prod"
  }
}

          output.yaml
          YAML
        

server:
  host: "0.0.0.0"
  port: 8080
database:
  engine: postgres
  name: myapp_prod

JSON → YAML

The YAML version is more concise — no curly braces, no quotation marks around most strings, and indentation defines the structure instead of punctuation. This is why YAML is the preferred format for configuration files in tools like Docker Compose, Kubernetes, Ansible, and GitHub Actions.

YAML → JSON

Click the Swap button, then paste your YAML into the right panel. The converter parses the YAML structure and outputs properly formatted JSON. This is especially useful when feeding YAML config data into an API that only accepts JSON, or when debugging indentation errors — converting to JSON and back can help surface issues.

JSON vs YAML: Key Differences

Both are human-readable data serialization formats, but they serve different strengths. Choosing the right one depends on your use case.

Feature	JSON	YAML
Readability	Good — structured with braces	Excellent — clean, indentation-based
Comments	Not supported	Supported with `#`
Data types	Strings, numbers, booleans, null, arrays, objects	Same, plus dates, timestamps, multi-line strings
File size	Slightly larger (punctuation overhead)	Slightly smaller (no braces/brackets)
Parsing speed	Very fast — native in all browsers	Slower — requires external parser
Use cases	APIs, web data, package manifests	Config files, CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code
Error-prone?	Trailing commas, missing quotes	Indentation sensitivity

JSON When to Use JSON

JSON is the standard for web APIs and data interchange. If you're building a REST API, working with JavaScript/TypeScript, or need to transmit structured data between services, JSON is the natural choice. It has native support in every browser and virtually every programming language.

YAML When to Use YAML

YAML shines in configuration scenarios. Kubernetes manifests, Docker Compose files, GitHub Actions workflows, Ansible playbooks, and many CI/CD pipelines all use YAML because it's easier to read and write by hand, and it supports comments — a critical feature when documenting infrastructure configuration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between JSON and YAML?

JSON uses braces, brackets, and quotes to define structure, making it strict and unambiguous. YAML uses indentation and a more relaxed syntax, making it easier to read and write by hand. YAML also supports comments (with #) and additional data types like dates and multi-line strings. JSON is better for machine-to-machine data exchange; YAML is better for human-edited configuration files.

Is my data safe? Does this tool send data to a server?

No data leaves your browser. The entire conversion happens client-side in JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored on any server. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet — the tool will still work.

Can I convert YAML with comments to JSON?

The converter will parse your YAML and produce valid JSON, but comments will be stripped because JSON does not support comments. If you convert back to YAML, you'll need to re-add them manually.

What YAML features are supported?

This converter handles the most common YAML structures: mappings (key-value pairs), sequences (arrays), nested objects, quoted strings, booleans, numbers, and null values. Advanced features like anchors, aliases, and custom tags are not supported — for those, use a full YAML library like js-yaml or PyYAML.

How do I use JSON to YAML conversion programmatically?

In Python, use import yaml; yaml.dump(json_data) with the PyYAML library. In JavaScript/Node.js, use js-yaml: yaml.dump(jsonObject). On the command line, yq can convert between formats: yq -P input.json > output.yaml.

JSON to YAML Converter