Yaml Data vs Json Data

YAML and JSON are both data serialization formats used for data exchange and configuration, but they differ in their syntax and readability.

JSON Example Data:

{
  "person": {
    "name": "Alice",
    "age": 30,
    "isStudent": false,
    "hobbies": ["reading", "hiking", "cooking"],
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Main St",
      "city": "Anytown"
    }
  }
}

YAML Example Data:

person:

          # This is comment from YAML which JSON format  doesn't support

name: Alice
  age: 30
  isStudent: false
  hobbies:
    - reading
    - hiking
    - cooking
  address:
    street: 123 Main St
    city: Anytown

Key Differences Illustrated:

• Syntax:

JSON uses curly braces {} for objects and square brackets [] for arrays, with key-value pairs separated by colons : and elements separated by commas ,. YAML uses indentation to define structure, with key-value pairs separated by colons : and list items denoted by hyphens -.

• Readability:

YAML is often considered more human-readable due to its minimal use of structural characters and reliance on indentation. JSON's strict syntax with braces and commas can be less intuitive for direct human  editing.  YAML is better for human-maintained files.

• Comments:

YAML supports comments using the hash symbol #, allowing for explanations within the file. JSON does not natively support comments. It  is  a  big disadvantage.

• Quoting:

In YAML, strings often do not require quotes unless they contain special characters or could be misinterpreted as other data types. In JSON, string values must always be enclosed in double quotes "".

Beacause of YAML uses space indentation, which is familiar for Python developers. JavaScript developers love JSON because it is a subset of JavaScript and can be directly interpreted and written inside JavaScript.

If the data format will be leaving an application's environment, parsed within a UI, or sent in a messaging layer, JSON might be a better choice. YAML can be used, directly, for complex tasks like grammar definitions

Very  important  and  interesting more   information  can  be get  through  this  stackoverflow  comments .

 References Used are What is the difference between YAML and JSON?  and  through AI Overview.