YAML
A highly human-readable data serialization format that relies on strict indentation (spaces) rather than brackets to define structure, widely used for configuration files.
What it is
YAML simplifies complex data structures for human editors. Unlike JSON, it doesn't use quotation marks or curly braces; it uses strict visual indentation. It is the de facto standard language for configuring infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and container orchestration platforms.
When you would use it
You write YAML files when configuring deployment pipelines, Kubernetes clusters, or infrastructure-as-code environments.
Common operations
- Writing deployment instructions for GitHub Actions (.github/workflows/main.yml).
- Defining multi-container environments in Docker Compose.
Related terms
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