YAML vs JSON - Differences & When to Use Each

🔄Free YAML ⇄ JSON Converter
Convert YAML to JSON and JSON to YAML.Open tool →

JSON

Braces, brackets and double quotes; no comments; very strict. Used for APIs, web apps and package files like package.json.

YAML

Indentation instead of braces, supports comments, and is easier to read and edit by hand. Used for Kubernetes manifests, Docker Compose, GitHub Actions, Ansible and many app configs.

YAML gotchas

Indentation must use spaces, not tabs. Unquoted values can surprise you – some parsers read 'no' or 'on' as booleans and 08 as a number. Quote values when in doubt.

Convert between them

Paste into the YAML ⇄ JSON Converter and click the direction you need; errors show the exact problem. Comments are lost when converting to JSON.

Frequently asked questions

Is YAML a superset of JSON?

Mostly – valid JSON is generally valid YAML 1.2.

Which is faster to parse?

JSON.

Which should I use for config?

YAML for human-edited config, JSON for machine-generated data.