Paste YAML, get clean JSON instantly. Runs entirely in your browser — your data never leaves your machine.
YAML and JSON, and why you convert between them
YAML is built for humans — indentation instead of brackets, no quotes needed, comments allowed. It's the default for Docker Compose, Kubernetes, GitHub Actions, and most CI/CD config. JSON is built for machines — strict, unambiguous, and understood by every programming language and API.
You convert YAML to JSON when a tool or API expects JSON but your config lives in YAML, when you want to validate that your YAML actually parses, or when you need to paste structured data into something that only accepts JSON.
Common gotchas
- Tabs break YAML. Use spaces for indentation — never tabs.
- Colons need a space. Write
key: value, not key:value.
- Consistent indentation. Every level must line up exactly.
Frequently asked questions
Is my YAML data uploaded anywhere?
No. This converter runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your YAML is parsed on your own device and nothing is sent to a server, which makes it safe for config files with secrets.
What YAML features are supported?
Standard YAML: nested maps, lists, strings, numbers, booleans, null, and multi-document files. Anchors and complex custom tags may not convert — stick to plain data structures for best results.
Why am I getting a parse error?
YAML is indentation-sensitive. The most common causes are mixing tabs and spaces, inconsistent indentation, or a missing colon/space after a key. The error message points to the line to check.
Can it convert JSON back to YAML?
This tool goes YAML → JSON. JSON is itself valid YAML, so most YAML parsers accept JSON input too, but for clean formatted YAML output you'd want a dedicated JSON → YAML tool.
Does it work offline?
Once the page has loaded, the conversion works without a connection because it runs locally. You can bookmark it and reuse it.