YAML is a human-readable data format widely used in Docker Compose, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and configuration files. Converting JSON to YAML makes data easier to read and edit by hand — YAML uses indentation instead of brackets and quotes. Our guide on converting JSON to YAML safely explains why some values must stay quoted — the Norway problem.
JSON uses curly braces, square brackets, and double-quoted strings. YAML uses indentation and colons — no braces or quotes needed for simple strings. For example, {"name":"Alice"} in JSON becomes name: Alice in YAML.
Arrays become standard YAML sequences — each item is written on its own line starting with a dash. So ["a","b"] becomes - a and - b. For an array of objects, the first key sits on the dash line and the remaining keys line up beneath it. Empty arrays are [] and empty objects are {}.
Strings containing special YAML characters (like : # [ ] { }) or reserved words (true, false, null, yes, no) are automatically wrapped in double quotes with proper escaping to ensure valid YAML output.
Yes. JSON true/false are output as YAML true/false, and JSON null is output as null. Numeric values are written without quotes. Only strings that could be mistaken for these types are auto-quoted.
You can upload JSON files up to 100MB. All conversion happens entirely in your browser — your data is never sent to any server.