Comparisons

YAML vs JSON: Which Config Format Should You Use?

6 min read

January 22, 2026

yaml vs json, json vs yaml, yaml syntax

YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) and JSON are the two titans of configuration formats. While JSON rules the web API world, YAML dominates in DevOps (Kubernetes, Ansible, GitHub Actions).

But when should you choose one over the other? This guide compares them head-to-head.

Syntax Comparison#

The most obvious difference is syntax. JSON uses braces and quotes; YAML uses indentation.

comparison.txttext

JSON:
{
  "name": "Server",
  "ports": [80, 443],
  "enabled": true
}

YAML:
name: Server
ports:
  - 80
  - 443
enabled: true

Pros & Cons#

A quick comparison of strengths and weaknesses:

Feature	JSON	YAML
Readability	Good (but noisy syntax)	Excellent (clean visual structure)
Comments	Not supported natively	Supported (# comment)
Parsing Speed	Extremely Fast	Slower (complex parser)
Data Types	Basic (String, Number, Bool)	Rich (Dates, Sets, Binary)
Risk	Low (Strict syntax)	Medium (Indentation errors)

Which One to Choose?#

Choose JSON if:

You are building web APIs
Data is generated/parsed by machines primarily
Speed is critical
You need strict validation

Choose YAML if:

It is a configuration file edited by humans (CI/CD, K8s)
You need comments to explain settings
Readability is the top priority
You need advanced features like anchors/aliases

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Fundamentals

What is JSON

Learn JSON fundamentals: syntax rules, data types, real-world examples, and best practices. The definitive guide to JavaScript Object Notation.