YAML Formatter
FormattersTired of indentation errors in your config files? Our free online YAML formatter cleans up messy code and ensures your configuration is readable, valid, and consistent.
Input
Output
Indentation:
Tired of indentation errors in your config files? Our free online YAML formatter cleans up messy code and ensures your configuration is readable, valid, and consistent.
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Did You Know?
YAML is actually a superset of JSON, meaning any valid JSON file is also a valid YAML file.
Best Practice
Always use 2 spaces for YAML indentation to ensure the widest compatibility with dev tools.
YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-friendly data serialization standard that is commonly used for configuration files in DevOps, cloud infrastructure (like Kubernetes and Docker), and application settings. Unlike JSON, YAML relies on indentation to define structure, making whitespace a critical part of its syntax. Proper formatting is not just about aesthetics in YAML; it is a requirement for the data to be parsed correctly by software systems.
Tip
Use the '---' marker to separate multiple documents within a single YAML file.
While our online tool is perfect for quick fixes, you can automate your YAML formatting by using tools like Prettier or Biome in your IDE. Most developers use VS Code extensions like 'YAML by Red Hat' to get real-time feedback. For large teams, we recommend adding a YAML linting step to your CI/CD pipeline using 'yamllint' to catch formatting errors before they reach production.
Q: Why does my YAML fail even when it looks correct? A: YAML is extremely sensitive to spaces. Often, mixing tabs and spaces or having a single trailing space can cause a parsing error.
Q: Can I use tabs for indentation in YAML? A: No, the official YAML specification does not allow tabs for indentation. You must use spaces, typically 2 per level.
Q: Is my configuration data secure? A: Yes, our tool processes your YAML locally in your browser. Your data is never uploaded to our servers.
Q: Does this tool validate the YAML syntax? A: Yes, it will attempt to format the code, which inherently checks for valid structural syntax.