YAML to JSON Converter

Use YAML to JSON Converter

Converts between YAML and JSON in this tab. The parser is fetched only when you convert, so the page stays light until you use it.

YAML input

Indentation

This parser follows YAML 1.2Only true and false are booleans. Older YAML 1.1 parsers also treated yes, no, on and off as booleans, which is why a country code of NO could silently become false. Quote any value whose literal text matters.

JSON result

Paste YAML, then convert it locally.

The converted output will appear here.

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About YAML to JSON Converter

Convert YAML configuration into JSON for an API payload, validation step or application that expects JSON syntax. YAML comments, anchors and presentation choices do not all have direct equivalents in JSON, so the useful check is the parsed data rather than whether the formatting looks similar. The browser parses the input locally and shows errors before you use the output. Multi-document YAML is represented as a JSON array; check whether your destination expects that array or a single object. The reverse direction remains available for a round-trip check, while the separate JSON-to-YAML page explains authoring a maintainable YAML configuration.

Work through the input

Start in the YAML-to-JSON direction and paste the YAML you intend to convert. Read parser errors before copying the result. If you reverse the conversion, compare the data values rather than expecting comments and formatting to return.
YAML is read with the safe schema, which will not construct arbitrary objects from tags. That restriction matters for a tool that accepts text pasted from anywhere: YAML's full schema can be coaxed into instantiating types, and a converter has no business doing that.
Multi-document files are handled. YAML allows several documents in one file separated by three dashes, which Kubernetes manifests use constantly. JSON has no equivalent, so the documents come back as an array and the result says how many there were.
Going the other way, long strings are never wrapped onto multiple lines and repeated objects are written out in full rather than as anchors. Both choices favour output a person can read and paste, over output that is technically shorter.

When yaml to json converter is useful

A manifest into an API call

A deployment file written as YAML becomes the JSON body an API expects, with a multi-document file arriving as an array rather than failing to parse.

An API response into a config file

JSON returned by a service becomes YAML that is comfortable to edit by hand and to review in a pull request.

Finding why a value is wrong

Converting to JSON shows exactly how the parser understood your file. A version number that arrives as a number rather than a string is immediately visible.

Checking a round trip

Convert one way, switch direction, and convert back. Anything that changed is something the formats disagree about, which is what you want to find before deploying.

Check the output

This parser follows YAML 1.2, where only true and false are booleans. Older YAML 1.1 parsers also treat yes, no, on and off as booleans, which is the origin of the Norway problem: a country code of NO in an unquoted list silently became false. If the literal text of a value matters, quote it, and be aware the same file can mean different things in different tools.
Comments do not survive. JSON has no way to express them, so anything after a hash is dropped on the way across and cannot be recovered by converting back. Keep the commented original if the comments are the documentation.
Key order is preserved but has no meaning in either format. Do not rely on it for anything, and expect some tools to reorder keys on their next write.
Dates and other rich YAML types collapse to strings, because JSON has no date type. The value is preserved exactly as text, but a consumer expecting a date object will need to parse it again.

Questions about YAML to JSON Converter

Why did yes stay a string instead of becoming true?

Because this follows YAML 1.2, where only true and false are booleans. YAML 1.1 coerced yes, no, on and off, which caused real bugs. If you need a boolean, write true or false.

What happens to my comments?

They are lost. JSON cannot represent comments, so they cannot survive the conversion and cannot be restored by converting back. Keep the original if the comments matter.

Can it handle Kubernetes-style multi-document files?

Yes. Documents separated by three dashes are all parsed and returned as a JSON array, with a note stating how many were found.

Why is the YAML output not using anchors?

Repeated objects are written out in full deliberately. Anchors and aliases are compact but hard to read, and most people converting to YAML want something they can review and edit.