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2024-04-25•
Guides

JSON vs YAML: The Ultimate Config Format Showdown


The Config Wars

YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) has taken over the DevOps world (Kubernetes, Ansible, GitHub Actions). But JSON is still the king of APIs.


Key Differences


1. Comments

  • **YAML:** Supports comments (`# This is a comment`).
  • **JSON:** No comments allowed in standard RFC 8259.

    • 2. Syntax

  • **YAML:** Uses meaningful indentation (whitespace) and no brackets.
  • **JSON:** Uses braces `{}` and brackets `[]`.

    • 3. Readability

    YAML is generally more human-readable for configurations, while JSON is easier for machines to parse safely.


    Converting

    Need to turn your JSON API response into a Kubernetes ConfigMap?

    1. Paste JSON into the **JSON to YAML** converter.

    2. Download the clean YAML output.


    Interactive Demo: CONVERTER

    Your JSON

    Loading editor...
    Interactive Tree
    Valid
    {5 Items
    name: "JSON Buddy Tools"
    description: "Privacy-first JSON formatter with advanced features"
    features: []7 Items
    privacy: {}4 Items
    shortcuts: {}3 Items
    }

    Output

    Loading editor...

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is YAML a superset of JSON?

    Yes, functionally. Valid JSON is arguably valid YAML, but the reverse is not true.

    Why doesn't JSON support comments?

    Douglas Crockford removed them to prevent people from adding parsing directives that would break interoperability.