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YAML Cheat Sheet

Quick reference guide with copy-paste ready code snippets

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Getting Started

4 snippets

YAML basics and syntax

Comments

# This is a comment
# YAML is case sensitive

Document Start

---
# Document content
key: value

Multiple Documents

---
doc: 1
---
doc: 2
---
doc: 3

Document End

---
key: value
...

Scalar Types

5 snippets

Strings, numbers, booleans, and null

Strings

name: John Doe
quoted: "with spaces"
single: 'also quoted'

Multi-line Strings

literal: |
  Line 1
  Line 2
folded: >
  This will
  be folded

Numbers

integer: 42
float: 3.14
scientific: 1.2e+3
octal: 0o14
hex: 0xC

Booleans

yes_value: true
no_value: false
also_yes: yes
also_no: no

Null

empty: null
also_empty: ~
implicit_null:

Collections

5 snippets

Lists and dictionaries

List (Array)

fruits:
  - apple
  - banana
  - orange

Inline List

numbers: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Dictionary (Map)

person:
  name: John
  age: 30
  city: NYC

Inline Dictionary

person: {name: John, age: 30}

Nested Collections

users:
  - name: Alice
    roles:
      - admin
      - user
  - name: Bob
    roles:
      - user

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Anchors & Aliases

3 snippets

Reusing content

Anchor & Alias

defaults: &defaults
  adapter: postgres
  host: localhost

development:
  <<: *defaults
  database: dev_db

Multiple Anchors

common: &base
  name: app

dev:
  <<: *base
  debug: true

prod:
  <<: *base
  debug: false

List Anchors

- &item1
  name: first
- &item2
  name: second

refs:
  - *item1
  - *item2

Tags & Types

5 snippets

Explicit type declarations

String Tag

explicit_string: !!str 123
# Value is "123" not 123

Integer Tag

number: !!int "42"
# Converts "42" to 42

Float Tag

float_number: !!float "3.14"

Boolean Tag

bool_value: !!bool "yes"

Null Tag

null_value: !!null ""

Advanced Features

4 snippets

Complex structures and tricks

Merge Keys

common: &common
  type: base

specific:
  <<: *common
  name: special

Set Type

set: !!set
  ? item1
  ? item2
  ? item3

Ordered Map

ordered: !!omap
  - first: 1
  - second: 2
  - third: 3

Binary Data

picture: !!binary |
  R0lGODlhDAAMAIQAAP//9/X
  17unp5WZmZgAAAOfn515eXv

Special Characters

5 snippets

Escaping and special syntax

Escaping

special: "Quote: \" and backslash: \\"
unicode: "\u0041"  # A

Preserve Newlines

literal: |
  First line
  Second line
  Third line

Fold Newlines

folded: >
  This is a long
  sentence that will
  be folded

Strip Final Newlines

strip: |-
  No final
  newline

Keep Final Newlines

keep: |+
  Multiple
  final
  
  newlines

Common Use Cases

3 snippets

Configuration examples

Docker Compose

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx
    ports:
      - "80:80"

Kubernetes Config

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: my-pod
spec:
  containers:
  - name: app
    image: nginx

CI/CD Pipeline

stages:
  - build
  - test
  - deploy

build:
  stage: build
  script:
    - make build

More Cheat Sheets

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What is a YAML cheat sheet?

A YAML cheat sheet is a quick reference guide containing the most commonly used syntax, functions, and patterns in YAML. It helps developers quickly look up syntax without searching through documentation.

How do I learn YAML quickly?

Start with the basics: variables, control flow, and functions. Use this cheat sheet as a reference while practicing. For faster learning, try DocuWriter.ai to automatically explain code and generate documentation as you learn.

What are the most important YAML concepts?

Key YAML concepts include variables and data types, control flow (if/else, loops), functions, error handling, and working with data structures like arrays and objects/dictionaries.

How can I document my YAML code?

Use inline comments for complex logic, docstrings for functions and classes, and README files for projects. DocuWriter.ai can automatically generate professional documentation from your YAML code using AI.

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