YAML Formatter

Pretty-print YAML with consistent indentation. Comments, anchors, and custom formatting are not preserved — output is a re-serialized copy of the parsed structure. Paste YAML and click Run.

  • Runs entirely in your browser
  • No data stored or sent to a server
  • Free forever — no signup
  • Instant conversion

Input and Output

Use the interactive encoder and decoder on this page to process your text.

Learn more about YAML formatting

How to Format YAML

YAML Formatting

When to Format YAML

Format YAML from Kubernetes manifests, GitHub Actions workflows, Docker Compose files, and Ansible playbooks. Consistent indentation makes diffs readable and errors easier to spot.

YAML vs JSON

YAML supports comments, multi-line strings, and anchors. It is human-friendly but indentation-sensitive — a single wrong space can break parsing. Always validate after formatting.

Common Mistakes

  • Using tabs for indentation — YAML requires spaces
  • Expecting comments to survive re-formatting — they may be stripped
  • Formatting invalid YAML — fix syntax errors before pretty-printing

Developer Tips

  • Run YAML Validate after formatting before git commit
  • Keep Kubernetes manifests at 2-space indent for ecosystem consistency
  • Convert to JSON if you need programmatic diffing in CI

Frequently asked questions

Will formatting change my YAML semantics?

Formatting re-parses and re-serializes the document. Comments and custom tags may be lost. Review the output before committing to version control.

What indentation does the formatter use?

Output uses 2-space indentation, the most common YAML convention.