YAML maps become XML elements with child elements for each key. Sequences become repeated elements. Scalars become element text content.

How are attributes expressed?

YAML keys prefixed with `@` map to XML attributes: `{@id: 1, text: hello}` → ` hello `.

What's the root element name?

Configurable — default is ` `. Override with any valid XML name for your consumer.

Does it add XML declarations?

Yes by default: ` `. Toggle off for fragment output that will be embedded in another document.

YAML to XML | DevTools Surf

DevTools Surf

Example: YAML to XML

A worked example, rendered from real sample data. Sign in to run the tool on your own input.

Input

catalog:
  book:
    - title: JavaScript
      author: John
    - title: TypeScript
      author: Jane

Output

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<root>
  <catalog>
    <book>
      <title>JavaScript</title>
      <author>John</author>
    </book>
    <book>
      <title>TypeScript</title>
      <author>Jane</author>
    </book>
  </catalog>
</root>

About YAML to XML

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

Use Cases

Java developers converting YAML configs to XML for legacy application servers
Integration engineers transforming YAML data for XML-based SOAP services
Enterprise devs converting YAML configs to XML for Java EE deployments
Data engineers bridging YAML-configured pipelines with XML-consuming systems

Tips

Specify root element name for the generated XML document
Check that YAML lists convert to repeated XML elements correctly
Verify that YAML null values map to appropriate XML representations

Fun Facts

YAML and XML are both used for configuration but in different ecosystems: YAML dominates DevOps while XML dominates enterprise Java.
YAML's lack of a schema language means converting to XML's XSD-validated world can require manual schema creation.
Both YAML and XML support Unicode, but XML requires explicit encoding declarations while YAML defaults to UTF-8.

FAQ

What's the mapping?: YAML maps become XML elements with child elements for each key. Sequences become repeated elements. Scalars become element text content.
How are attributes expressed?: YAML keys prefixed with `@` map to XML attributes: `{@id: 1, text: hello}` → `<elem id="1">hello</elem>`.
What's the root element name?: Configurable — default is `<root>`. Override with any valid XML name for your consumer.
Does it add XML declarations?: Yes by default: `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>`. Toggle off for fragment output that will be embedded in another document.

Related Converters Tools

JSON to XML JSON to CSV JSON to YAML JSON to TSV JSON to String XML to JSON XML to CSV XML to String