JSON vs YAML: When to Use Which

JSON and YAML are both popular data serialization formats, but they have different strengths. Understanding when to use each can improve your development workflow.

Syntax Comparison

The same data in both formats:

JSON

{
  "name": "John",
  "age": 30,
  "hobbies": ["reading", "coding"]
}

YAML

name: John
age: 30
hobbies:
  - reading
  - coding

Key Differences

When to Use JSON

• API responses and requests
• Data interchange between services
• When parsing speed matters
• Browser/JavaScript environments

When to Use YAML

• Configuration files (Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD)
• When human readability is priority
• When you need comments
• Infrastructure as code