Convert a List to YAML

Transform text lists into properly formatted YAML documents with this Convert a List to YAML tool. Whether you’re creating configuration files, Docker Compose setups, or CI/CD pipeline definitions, this tool converts plain text into valid YAML with customizable structure options. Perfect for DevOps engineers, developers, and system administrators who need to quickly generate YAML configurations from simple lists without manual formatting.

Paste your list items, one per line or delimited data.
YAML Items: 0
Options
Skip empty lines
Trim whitespace
Add comments

How to Use:

1. Input Your List

  • Paste your list items into the input box, with each item on a separate line
  • Use the Import button to load text files directly from your computer
  • The Convert a List to YAML tool processes your text and generates valid YAML automatically

2. Configure YAML Options

  • Toggle “Skip empty lines” to remove blank entries from your YAML output
  • Enable “Trim whitespace” to clean up extra spaces around list items
  • Turn on “Add comments” to include helpful headers and structure information
  • Customize the “Root key” field to change the main container property name
  • Set the “Item key” field to define property names in object structures

3. Choose YAML Structure

  • Select “Simple array” for basic YAML lists with dash notation
  • Pick “Array of objects” to create structured records with ID numbers and custom keys
  • Use “Key-value mapping” to generate flat objects with numbered keys
  • Choose “Nested structure” for complex configurations with metadata and timestamps

4. Convert and Export

  • Click “Convert” to generate your YAML document instantly
  • Use “Copy” to copy the formatted YAML to your clipboard
  • Export your results as a .yaml file for use in configuration management
  • The tool displays a count of YAML items created from your list

What Convert a List to YAML can do:

This tool handles all the YAML generation scenarios you encounter in modern development workflows. Got a list of microservices that need to become a Docker Compose file? Convert them to YAML arrays and then customize the structure for your container orchestration. Working with environment variables or configuration settings? Transform simple lists into properly formatted YAML that your applications can parse reliably.

The different structure modes give you flexibility for various infrastructure and configuration tasks. Simple arrays work perfectly for basic lists in configuration files, dependency lists, or resource definitions. The objects mode creates structured data that’s ideal for inventory management, user definitions, or any scenario where you need both identifiers and descriptive names.

Key-value mapping generates flat YAML objects that work great for environment variables, feature flags, or configuration parameters. The tool automatically handles YAML escaping rules, so strings with special characters, numbers, or boolean-looking values get quoted properly to prevent parsing errors.

Nested structure mode creates comprehensive YAML with metadata, which is perfect for configuration files that need versioning information, generation timestamps, or item counts. This structure works well for CI/CD configurations, deployment manifests, or any YAML that benefits from additional context.

The tool’s smart about YAML syntax rules too. It automatically quotes strings that would be misinterpreted as numbers, booleans, or special values. Key names get validated to ensure they follow YAML conventions, and the indentation is always consistent for reliable parsing.

Whether you’re building Kubernetes manifests, Ansible playbooks, GitHub Actions workflows, or any other YAML-based configuration, this tool eliminates the tedious formatting work and ensures your output follows YAML best practices.

Example:

Here’s how different structure modes work with a typical DevOps tool list. Starting with:

Docker Compose
Kubernetes
Ansible Playbook

Simple array creates:

yaml

items:
  - Docker Compose
  - Kubernetes
  - Ansible Playbook

Array of objects generates:

yaml

items:
  - id: 1
    name: Docker Compose
  - id: 2
    name: Kubernetes
  - id: 3
    name: Ansible Playbook

Key-value mapping produces:

yaml

items:
  name_1: Docker Compose
  name_2: Kubernetes
  name_3: Ansible Playbook

Convert List to YAML Table:

This table shows how different list formats get converted to YAML, demonstrating various structure options and their resulting syntax patterns.

Input ListSimple ArrayArray of Objects
redis
postgres
nginx		items:
  – redis
  – postgres
  – nginx		items:
  – id: 1
    name: redis
  – id: 2
    name: postgres
development
staging
production		items:
  – development
  – staging
  – production		items:
  – id: 1
    name: development
  – id: 2
    name: staging
GET
POST
PUT
DELETE		items:
  – GET
  – POST
  – PUT
  – DELETE		items:
  – id: 1
    name: GET
  – id: 2
    name: POST
admin
editor
viewer		items:
  – admin
  – editor
  – viewer		items:
  – id: 1
    name: admin
  – id: 2
    name: editor
us-east-1
us-west-2
eu-west-1		items:
  – us-east-1
  – us-west-2
  – eu-west-1		items:
  – id: 1
    name: us-east-1
  – id: 2
    name: us-west-2

Common Use Cases:

DevOps teams use this tool constantly for generating configuration files from simple lists of services, environments, or deployment targets. Instead of manually typing YAML syntax for Docker Compose services or Kubernetes resource lists, you can paste service names and get properly formatted YAML instantly. The objects mode with auto-generated IDs works perfectly for creating user lists, permission groups, or any configuration that needs both identifiers and descriptive names. Infrastructure as Code workflows benefit from the tool’s ability to convert spreadsheet exports of servers, regions, or resources into YAML that Terraform, Ansible, or CloudFormation can process. The nested structure option adds useful metadata that many automation tools expect, like timestamps for change tracking and item counts for validation. Configuration management becomes much faster when you can convert environment variable lists, feature flags, or application settings into properly escaped YAML without worrying about syntax errors or special character handling.

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