Paste your code into any of the boxes and select the input format to convert it to the other two.
**Description:** A simple guide to the differences and uses of three popular data formats.
In the world of software development and configuration, you'll frequently encounter data formats used to store and exchange information. **JSON**, **YAML**, and **TOML** are three of the most popular. While they all serve a similar purpose, they have distinct philosophies and use cases. This tool helps you quickly understand their differences by letting you see how the same data looks in each format.
JSON is the most widely used data-interchange format on the web. It's a text-based format that's easy for both humans to read and machines to parse. Its syntax is based on a subset of the JavaScript programming language. It uses braces (``) for objects and brackets (`[]`) for arrays.
**Best for:** API communication, web services, and general data exchange.
YAML was designed to be human-readable and user-friendly. It uses indentation to represent nested structures, eliminating the need for many brackets and braces. Its simple, clean syntax makes it a favorite for configuration files, where readability is key.
**Best for:** Configuration files (e.g., Docker Compose, Ansible playbooks), where clarity and simplicity are more important than strictness.
TOML is a relatively newer format that focuses on being a simple, human-friendly configuration file format. It's designed to be a clear alternative to JSON and YAML, with a syntax that's very easy to parse. It's known for its explicit key-value pairs and clearly defined sections using square brackets (`[section]`).
**Best for:** Configuration files, especially in projects written in languages like Rust and Go.
This calculator allows you to quickly convert between all three to see how they compare and choose the right format for your next project!