YAML JSON Bridge

How YAML/JSON conversion works

YAML 1.2 and JSON share the same underlying data model (mappings, sequences, scalars), so converting between them is mostly a matter of re-serializing the same parsed value. This tool uses a locally-bundled copy of js-yaml (no CDN, no server call) to parse and generate YAML, following YAML 1.2's core schema — the same schema used by modern parsers like Kubernetes' own YAML handling:

// YAML in
name: my-app
replicas: 3
tags: [web, api]

// JSON out
{
  "name": "my-app",
  "replicas": 3,
  "tags": ["web", "api"]
}

The one place this trips people up: under the older YAML 1.1 rules that some tools (older PyYAML, Ansible, some spreadsheet-to-YAML exporters) still follow, bare unquoted words like yes, no, on, off, y and n are read as booleans — the textbook case being Norway's ISO country code NO silently becoming the boolean false in a spreadsheet exported to YAML. This tool follows the stricter YAML 1.2 core schema and keeps those words as strings, but still flags every occurrence so you know a downstream YAML-1.1 tool might read your file differently — quote them ("no") if you mean the string.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to paste a Kubernetes manifest or secret here?

Yes. All parsing happens in your browser using a locally-bundled copy of the js-yaml library; nothing is ever sent to a server.

Why does the tool warn me about words like 'no' or 'yes'?

Under the older YAML 1.1 rules that many real-world parsers still use, bare words like yes, no, on, off, y and n are read as booleans instead of strings — famously turning Norway's country code "NO" into false in a well-known spreadsheet-to-YAML bug. This tool follows the stricter YAML 1.2 core schema and keeps them as strings, but still flags them so you know a different tool downstream might disagree.

Does it support multiple YAML documents in one file (--- separators)?

No, this tool handles a single YAML document at a time, which covers the vast majority of Kubernetes and Docker Compose files.

Does converting JSON back to YAML preserve quoted strings correctly?

Yes. A JSON string value keeps its string type in the generated YAML, even if it looks like a number or boolean word — the tool quotes it when needed so it round-trips correctly.