YAML JSON Converter

Convert between YAML and JSON formats easily

Need to convert YAML to JSON? Or JSON to YAML? You're in the right place. If you've ever worked with config files, APIs, or infrastructure code, you know the drill. Your Kubernetes manifest is in YAML but the API wants JSON. Your CI/CD pipeline spits out JSON but you need YAML for documentation. Your colleague sent you a JSON config and you can't read it without proper formatting. The usual solution? Google "yaml to json converter online" and paste your data into whatever website shows up first. But here's the thing—that data might include API keys, database passwords, internal endpoints, or production configs. Do you really want that sitting on some random server? We built YAML JSON Converter because we got tired of that trade-off. It runs entirely in your browser. Your data never touches any server. Zero upload, zero tracking, zero worries. YAML TO JSON CONVERSION Paste YAML on the left, get JSON on the right. Instantly. No clicking buttons, no waiting for server responses. The conversion happens as you type. Works with everything YAML throws at you: - Multi-document YAML with --- separators - Anchors and aliases (&anchor, *alias) - Complex nested structures - Multi-line strings (both | and > style) - All standard data types Common uses: Kubernetes and Docker work. You're debugging a deployment that won't start. Convert the YAML manifest to JSON to spot that nested key you mistyped. Feed it into jsonlint or your IDE's JSON validator. Much easier to trace bracket matching in JSON when you're hunting for syntax issues. API development. Your REST endpoint returns JSON but your docs use YAML examples. Quick conversion keeps everything consistent. OpenAPI specs, Swagger definitions, API documentation—switch between formats without manual rewriting. Ansible and Terraform. Infrastructure as code means lots of YAML. Sometimes you need to pass that config to a tool that only speaks JSON. Or you're generating configs programmatically and need to verify the output structure. GitHub Actions and GitLab CI. Pipeline configs are YAML. When something breaks, converting to JSON can help you see the exact structure the CI system is parsing. Easier to spot where that weird indentation error is hiding. JSON TO YAML CONVERSION Same deal, opposite direction. Paste JSON, get clean YAML with proper indentation. The converter preserves your data structure exactly. Numbers stay numbers. Booleans stay booleans. Nested objects come out with correct indentation levels. No weird type coercion or data loss. Common uses: Making configs human-readable. JSON is great for machines but terrible for humans. Convert that minified JSON blob into YAML and suddenly you can actually read it. Add comments (which JSON doesn't support), organize sections, make it maintainable. Creating Kubernetes resources from API output. kubectl get deployment -o json gives you JSON. Need to save that as a YAML manifest for version control? Paste, convert, done. Documentation. YAML is easier to read in docs. Convert your JSON API responses to YAML for cleaner examples in your README or wiki. Config migration. Moving from a JSON-based config system to YAML? Batch convert your existing configs instead of rewriting them by hand. FORMAT VALIDATION The converter doubles as a syntax checker. Invalid YAML? Invalid JSON? You'll see exactly where the problem is. This catches: - Missing commas in JSON - Tab/space mixing in YAML (the classic mistake) - Unclosed brackets or braces - Invalid escape sequences - Duplicate keys - Type mismatches Way faster than waiting for your app to crash and digging through error logs. WHY NOT JUST USE AN ONLINE CONVERTER? Privacy. That's the whole point. Online converters upload your data to their servers. Even if they claim to delete it immediately, your data still traveled across the internet to some company's infrastructure. It probably hit their logs. It might be cached somewhere. It could be used for analytics or training data. Think about what you're converting: - Database connection strings - API keys and secrets - Internal service URLs - Production environment configs - Authentication tokens - Private repository paths None of that should leave your machine. YAML JSON Converter processes everything locally in your browser using JavaScript. We don't have servers that handle your data because we don't need them. The conversion logic runs on your computer, not ours. This isn't just a privacy feature—it's the entire architecture. We literally cannot see your data because it never reaches us. OFFLINE SUPPORT Install the extension once, use it anywhere. No internet required. Working on a plane? Fine. In a secure facility with no external network access? Fine. Coffee shop with sketchy wifi you don't trust? Fine. The entire converter runs locally. Once it's installed, network connectivity is irrelevant. ACTUALLY FREE No premium tier. No "upgrade to unlock features." No usage limits. No watermarks. No ads. We built this for ourselves and figured others might find it useful. That's it. WHO USES THIS? DevOps engineers converting between Kubernetes YAML and JSON for debugging, validation, or API calls. Backend developers transforming API responses into config files. Frontend developers converting JSON configs for different build tools. Data engineers moving configs between YAML-based and JSON-based pipeline tools. Security-conscious developers who don't want to paste credentials into random websites. Anyone working in regulated industries where data handling matters. Freelancers who handle client configs and take confidentiality seriously. Students learning the relationship between data serialization formats. Tutorial writers who need examples in both formats. Anyone who just wants a fast, simple converter without the bloat. TECHNICAL SPECS Supported YAML features: - YAML 1.1 and 1.2 compatibility - Multi-document streams (---) - Anchors (&) and aliases (*) - Merge keys (<<) - Complex keys - All scalar types (strings, integers, floats, booleans, null) - Block and flow collections - Literal (|) and folded (>) block scalars - Explicit typing with tags Supported JSON features: - Full JSON specification compliance - Nested objects and arrays - All primitive types - Unicode support - Proper escape sequence handling No file size limits enforced by the extension. Practical limits depend on your browser's memory. We've tested with files containing tens of thousands of lines without issues. Requires Chrome 114 or newer. Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS—anywhere Chrome runs. KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS Speed matters when you're converting configs all day: - Paste and convert is instant (just Ctrl/Cmd+V) - Copy output with one click - Clear both panels to start fresh No forms to fill out, no options to configure. Paste, copy, done. WEB VERSION AVAILABLE Prefer not to install an extension? Visit yaml-json.tools-ai.org for the same converter as a web app. Same privacy guarantees—everything runs in your browser. The extension is convenient for frequent use. The web version is there when you're on someone else's machine or just want to try it out first. COMPARISON WITH ALTERNATIVES vs. Online converters (yaml-online-parser, json2yaml.com, etc.) They upload your data. We don't. That's the fundamental difference. If you're converting public example data, online tools are fine. If you're converting anything that shouldn't leave your machine, they're not. vs. Command-line tools (yq, jq) CLI tools are powerful but require installation and learning curve. YAML JSON Converter is install-and-go. Visual interface shows both input and output simultaneously. Better for quick one-off conversions. CLI tools win for scripting and batch operations. vs. IDE plugins IDE plugins work within your editor, which is convenient. But they're tied to that specific IDE. YAML JSON Converter works anywhere Chrome works, regardless of what editor you're using. vs. Programming language libraries (PyYAML, js-yaml) Writing code to convert between formats is overkill for most use cases. If you're doing it programmatically as part of a larger system, use a library. If you just need to convert something quickly, use this. COMMON QUESTIONS Does it handle comments? YAML comments are stripped during conversion to JSON (JSON doesn't support comments). Converting JSON to YAML produces clean output without comments. If you need to preserve comments, you'll need a YAML-aware tool that doesn't round-trip through JSON. What about YAML aliases and anchors? Fully supported. Anchors and aliases are resolved during conversion, so the JSON output contains the expanded data. Can I convert multiple documents? Yes. Multi-document YAML (separated by ---) converts to a JSON array where each element is one document. Is there a file upload option? Currently paste-only. Most config files are small enough that copy-paste is faster than file dialogs anyway. Does it preserve key order? Yes. Object key order from your input is maintained in the output. What if my YAML/JSON is huge? It'll work, but very large files may take a moment to process since everything runs in your browser. For massive files, consider a streaming CLI tool instead. TYPICAL WORKFLOWS Kubernetes debugging: 1. kubectl get deployment myapp -o yaml > myapp.yaml 2. Paste into converter 3. See JSON structure to identify issues 4. Fix in YAML, apply, repeat API documentation: 1. Get JSON response from API 2. Convert to YAML 3. Add to docs with annotations 4. Cleaner examples for readers Config migration: 1. Export existing JSON configs 2. Batch convert to YAML 3. Add comments explaining each section 4. Commit to version control CI/CD troubleshooting: 1. Copy your GitHub Actions / GitLab CI YAML 2. Convert to JSON 3. Validate structure matches expectations 4. Find that hidden syntax error PRIVACY DETAILS What we collect: Nothing. What we store: Nothing. What we transmit: Nothing. The extension requests only storage permission—that's to remember your theme preference (light/dark mode) across sessions. We don't access your browsing history, other tabs, or anything beyond the converter interface itself. There's no analytics, no tracking pixels, no usage telemetry. We have no idea how many people use this or what they convert. By design. SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK Found a bug? Have a feature request? The extension is open to feedback. We actually use this tool ourselves every day, so we're motivated to keep it working well. Not planning to add features that would require server infrastructure, since that would defeat the privacy-first design. But improvements to the conversion logic, UI, or supported formats are always on the table. REAL-WORLD SCENARIOS Here's how developers actually use this thing: The 2am production incident. Something's broken and you're staring at a YAML config that looks fine but clearly isn't. Convert to JSON, run it through a stricter validator, find that invisible character or weird indentation issue that was driving you crazy. Back to bed. The new job onboarding. You joined a team that uses different tools than you're used to. Their configs are all in YAML but you've always worked with JSON. Quick conversions let you understand the structure without learning YAML syntax deeply yet. The client handoff. You're a contractor delivering a project. The client wants configs in a specific format. Takes two seconds to convert everything before sending it over. The code review. Someone submitted a massive YAML file. Convert to JSON temporarily just to use your editor's JSON folding and navigation features. Way easier to review complex nested structures. The legacy migration. Old system uses JSON configs, new system wants YAML. Rather than manually converting hundreds of files (and introducing typos), batch convert them properly. FORMATS EXPLAINED If you're not super familiar with these formats, here's the quick version: YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is designed for human readability. It uses indentation to show structure (like Python). Popular for configuration files because it's easy to read and write by hand. Comments are allowed. Kubernetes, Docker Compose, Ansible, and most CI/CD tools use YAML. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is designed for machine readability and data interchange. Uses braces and brackets for structure. Stricter syntax (commas matter, no comments). APIs typically speak JSON. JavaScript natively parses it. Most programming languages have built-in JSON support. Both represent the same underlying data structures: objects/maps, arrays/lists, strings, numbers, booleans, null. Converting between them is lossless for data, though YAML comments get dropped (JSON doesn't support them). ERROR MESSAGES When your input has problems, the converter tells you exactly what's wrong: YAML errors: - "Indentation error at line X" — tabs and spaces mixed, or inconsistent indentation - "Unknown alias" — you referenced an anchor that doesn't exist - "Duplicate key" — same key appears twice in one object - "Invalid character" — something that shouldn't be there JSON errors: - "Unexpected token at position X" — usually a missing comma or extra comma - "Unterminated string" — forgot to close your quotes - "Expected ':' after property name" — object syntax is wrong - "Unexpected end of input" — missing closing bracket or brace These messages point you to exactly where the problem is. Much faster than guessing. DARK MODE The converter supports both light and dark themes. Matches your system preference by default, or toggle manually. Dark mode is easier on the eyes for those late-night debugging sessions. INTERFACE DESIGN Two panels, side by side. Left side is input, right side is output. Conversion happens as you type—no buttons needed. The interface is deliberately minimal. No toolbars full of options you'll never use. No wizards. No configuration. Just paste and get results. Panel sizes can be adjusted by dragging the divider. Make the input bigger when you're writing, make the output bigger when you're reviewing the result. Copy button on the output panel puts the converted data on your clipboard instantly. LANGUAGE SUPPORT English and Japanese interfaces available. The extension detects your browser language and uses the appropriate translation. More languages can be added based on demand. The core conversion functionality works regardless of UI language—YAML and JSON are the same everywhere. UPDATES The extension updates automatically through Chrome's extension system. No manual downloads, no version checking. You always have the latest conversion logic and bug fixes. We don't update frequently—this isn't a tool that needs constant new features. When we do update, it's for: - Bug fixes - Performance improvements - Supporting new edge cases in YAML/JSON specs - UI refinements based on feedback INSTALLATION 1. Click "Add to Chrome" on this page 2. Confirm the installation prompt 3. The YAML JSON Converter icon appears in your toolbar 4. Click it whenever you need to convert something That's it. No account creation, no email verification, no onboarding flow. Just install and use. Pin the extension to your toolbar for quick access. You'll be surprised how often you need it once it's there. FINAL THOUGHTS YAML and JSON are everywhere in modern development. Config files, API responses, infrastructure definitions, CI pipelines—you're constantly moving between these formats. Most developers either use online tools (privacy risk) or write one-off scripts (time sink). We wanted something better: fast, private, and simple. YAML JSON Converter is that tool. No accounts, no uploads, no tracking. Just paste, convert, copy. Install it, try it, forget about it until you need it. Then it's right there in your browser toolbar. Your data stays yours.