YAML Formatter
Parse, validate, and format YAML into a readable, consistently indented style.
About YAML Formatter
YAML config files are everywhere, from CI pipelines to container definitions, but inconsistent indentation makes them both ugly and dangerous, because in YAML indentation defines structure. This formatter parses your YAML and rewrites it with clean, consistent two-space indentation and predictable key order.
The tool parses the document fully before formatting, so invalid YAML is reported with the offending line rather than silently mangled. Inline lists and maps are expanded into block style, anchors and aliases are preserved, and a conversion mode outputs the same data as JSON for debugging or interop.
DevOps engineers standardize deployment configs, developers tidy docker-compose and CI files before committing, and analysts converting hand-written YAML to JSON for tooling all get a consistent output. Anyone inheriting YAML from another team will appreciate the normalized result.
How to Use
- Paste your YAML.
- Press Format.
- Review the formatted output and any reported errors.
Example
name: Toolwell tools: [word, count, convert] name: Toolwell tools: - word - count - convert
Inline lists are expanded into block lists with standard two-space indentation, the most common YAML style.
FAQ
Why does YAML care about indentation?
YAML uses indentation to define structure, so consistent spacing is essential for both readability and correctness.
Can it convert YAML to JSON?
Yes, a mode outputs the same data as JSON, which helps when debugging or moving between formats.
What if my YAML is invalid?
Parse errors are reported with the offending line so you can locate and fix the problem.
Does it preserve comments in my YAML?
Yes. Comments are kept and re-positioned to sit near the lines they annotate, so any documentation or explanations you have written into the config survive the reformatting intact and stay readable.
What indentation style does it use?
The default is the two-space style used by most YAML projects, and the converter normalizes tabs or deeper indentation so every file comes out consistent. That consistency is what makes the YAML safe to re-edit.