YAML to JSON Converter
Instantly convert YAML to formatted JSON — anchors expanded, all in your browser, no server, no signup.
Our YAML Formatter converts YAML to JSON in one click — paste your YAML, then click → JSON from the Convert dropdown in the toolbar.
Open YAML to JSON Converter →
How YAML to JSON Conversion Works
The converter parses your YAML using js-yaml v5 with the YAML 1.2 Core schema, producing a JavaScript object. It then serializes that object to formatted JSON using JSON.stringify() with 2-space indentation.
YAML mappings become JSON objects, sequences become arrays, and scalars map to their JSON equivalents. YAML-specific features are resolved during parsing: comments are discarded (JSON has no comment syntax), and anchors and aliases are expanded into their full values.
Example:
YAML input
name: Alice roles: - admin - user active: true
JSON output
{
"name": "Alice",
"roles": [
"admin",
"user"
],
"active": true
} Frequently Asked Questions
- How does YAML to JSON conversion work?
- The converter parses your YAML using js-yaml v5 with the YAML 1.2 Core schema, which produces a JavaScript object. It then serializes that object to formatted JSON using JSON.stringify() with 2-space indentation. YAML mappings become JSON objects, sequences become arrays, and all scalar types map to their JSON equivalents.
- What YAML features are lost during conversion?
- Comments are discarded — JSON has no comment syntax. Anchors and aliases are expanded into their full values. Multi-line string styles (literal block
|, folded>) are converted to regular JSON strings. The resulting JSON contains only the data, not any YAML formatting metadata. - What is the difference between YAML 1.1 and YAML 1.2 parsing?
- YAML 1.1 parsers (PyYAML, Docker Compose, GitHub Actions) convert bare yes/no/on/off to booleans and time values like 22:30 to integers. YAML 1.2 parsers (js-yaml v5, used by this tool) do not — only true/false are booleans. If your YAML was written for a YAML 1.1 environment, use the Fix YAML 1.1 Risks button in the YAML Formatter before converting.
- Is my data sent to a server?
- No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using js-yaml v5. Your data never leaves your machine.
- Can I convert YAML to JSON in Python?
- Yes:
import yaml, json; data = yaml.safe_load(yaml_string); json_str = json.dumps(data, indent=2). Note that yaml.safe_load uses YAML 1.1 rules — bare yes/no/on/off become Python True/False. For YAML 1.2 behaviour, use ruamel.yaml instead.
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