YAML to JSON Converter

Round-trip caveats

YAML is converted with a client-side parser into JSON types: maps to objects, sequences to arrays, scalars to string/number/boolean/null. JSON back to YAML emits a readable subset. Anchors, complex tags, and custom types may not survive.

Indentation errors are the most common YAML failure. Tabs mixed with spaces often break parsers; prefer spaces only.

Worked example: a simple object with a list

YAML:

name: Ada
role: Engineer
tags:
  - seo
  - tools

JSON:

{"name":"Ada","role":"Engineer","tags":["seo","tools"]}

Limits

This is not a Kubernetes schema linter and not a full YAML 1.1 vs 1.2 compliance suite. Binary and multi-document streams need dedicated tools. Secrets in YAML still appear on screen; clear the tab when finished on a shared computer.

Numbers, booleans, and ambiguous scalars

Unquoted YAML scalars like NO, on, or 1.0 may become booleans or numbers depending on the YAML version and parser. Quote strings you want kept as text. Prefer JSON for machine interchange when type ambiguity has bitten your team before.

Worked example: the Norway problem

In YAML 1.1, country: NO is read as the boolean false, and version: 1.10 becomes the number 1.1. Quote values that must stay strings: country: "NO", version: "1.10". The JSON output then shows "NO" and "1.10" as strings. Always scan the JSON for values whose type changed.

Pitfalls

• Tabs for indentation. YAML forbids tabs for indentation. Use spaces.
• Anchors and aliases. &base and *base are expanded into repeated copies in JSON, since JSON has no references.
• Multiple documents. A file with --- separators holds several documents; JSON holds one value per file.
• Comments. JSON has no comments, so YAML comments are dropped.

FAQ