About YAML to JSON

Convert YAML to JSON format. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Converters collection.

Use Cases

• DevOps engineers converting YAML configs to JSON for API submissions
• Backend devs transforming YAML configs to JSON for JavaScript consumption
• CI/CD engineers converting YAML pipeline configs to JSON for debugging
• Developers generating JSON Schema from YAML-defined data models

Tips

• Check that YAML anchors and aliases are resolved in the JSON output
• Verify that YAML multi-line strings convert to single JSON strings
• Review YAML tags for type information lost during JSON conversion

Fun Facts

• YAML-to-JSON conversion is a lossy operation: YAML comments, anchors, and custom tags are discarded in JSON output.
• Many Kubernetes tools internally convert YAML to JSON before processing, since the API server only accepts JSON.
• YAML supports 3 boolean representations (true/True/TRUE), all of which map to JSON's single 'true' value.

FAQ

Does it resolve YAML anchors?

Yes by default — `*ref` aliases are expanded to their anchored values. Toggle off to preserve the reference structure (JSON can't natively express anchors; the tool uses a special key).

What about multi-document YAML?

Each `---` separator creates a top-level array element in the JSON output. Single-document YAML returns an unwrapped value.

How are YAML-specific types handled?

Timestamps become ISO 8601 strings, binary data becomes base64 strings, sets become arrays. Any YAML type gets a JSON-compatible representation.

Will the output round-trip?

JSON → YAML → JSON: yes for simple data. YAML → JSON → YAML: lossy (comments, anchors, key order, tag types can change).