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date
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YAML
2020-12-29 10:26:55 -0800
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This is a quick reference cheat sheet for understanding and writing YAML format configuration files.
Getting started {.cols-3}
YAML is a data serialisation language designed to be directly writable and readable by humans
YAML does not allow the use of tabs
Must be space between the element parts
YAML is CASE sensitive
End your YAML file with the .yaml
or .yml
extension
YAML is a superset of JSON
Ansible playbooks are YAML files
{.style-round}
Scalar types {.row-span-2}
n1 : 1 # integer
n2 : 1.234 # float
s1 : ' abc' # string
s2 : " abc" # string
s3 : abc # string
b : false # boolean type
d : 2015-04-05 # date type
{
"n1" : 1 ,
"n2" : 1.234 ,
"s1" : " abc" ,
"s2" : " abc" ,
"s3" : " abc" ,
"b" : false ,
"d" : " 2015-04-05"
}
Use spaces to indent. There must be space between the element parts.
some_thing : &VAR_NAME foobar
other_thing : *VAR_NAME
{
"some_thing" : " foobar" ,
"other_thing" : " foobar"
}
Comments
# A single line comment example
# block level comment example
# comment line 1
# comment line 2
# comment line 3
description : |
hello
world
{"description" : " hello\n world\n " }
Inheritance {.row-span-2}
parent : &defaults
a : 2
b : 3
child :
<< : *defaults
b : 4
{
"parent" : {
"a" : 2 ,
"b" : 3
},
"child" : {
"a" : 2 ,
"b" : 4
}
}
values : &ref
- Will be
- reused below
other_values :
i_am_ref : *ref
{
"values" : [
" Will be" ,
" reused below"
],
"other_values" : {
"i_am_ref" : [
" Will be" ,
" reused below"
]
}
}
description : >
hello
world
{"description" : " hello world\n " }
---
document : this is doc 1
---
document : this is doc 2
YAML uses ---
to separate directives from document content.
YAML Collections {.cols-3}
- Mark McGwire
- Sammy Sosa
- Ken Griffey
[
" Mark McGwire" ,
" Sammy Sosa" ,
" Ken Griffey"
]
hr : 65 # Home runs
avg : 0.278 # Batting average
rbi : 147 # Runs Batted In
{
"hr" : 65 ,
"avg" : 0.278 ,
"rbi" : 147
}
attributes :
- a1
- a2
methods : [getter, setter]
{
"attributes" : [" a1" , " a2" ],
"methods" : [" getter" , " setter" ]
}
children :
- name : Jimmy Smith
age : 15
- name : Jimmy Smith
age : 15
-
name : Sammy Sosa
age : 12
{
"children" : [
{"name" : " Jimmy Smith" , "age" : 15 },
{"name" : " Jimmy Smith" , "age" : 15 },
{"name" : " Sammy Sosa" , "age" : 12 }
]
}
my_sequences :
- [1, 2, 3]
- [4, 5, 6]
-
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 0
{
"my_sequences" : [
[1 , 2 , 3 ],
[4 , 5 , 6 ],
[7 , 8 , 9 , 0 ]
]
}
Mark McGwire : {hr: 65, avg: 0.278}
Sammy Sosa : {
hr : 63,
avg : 0.288
}
{
"Mark McGwire" : {
"hr" : 65 ,
"avg" : 0.278
},
"Sammy Sosa" : {
"hr" : 63 ,
"avg" : 0.288
}
}
Jack :
id : 1
name : Franc
salary : 25000
hobby :
- a
- b
location : {country: "A", city: "A-A"}
{
"Jack" : {
"id" : 1 ,
"name" : " Franc" ,
"salary" : 25000 ,
"hobby" : [" a" , " b" ],
"location" : {
"country" : " A" , "city" : " A-A"
}
}
}
set1 : !!set
? one
? two
set2 : !!set {'one', "two"}
{
"set1" : {"one" : null , "two" : null },
"set2" : {"one" : null , "two" : null }
}
Sets are represented as a Mapping where each key is associated with a null value
ordered : !!omap
- Mark McGwire : 65
- Sammy Sosa : 63
- Ken Griffy : 58
{
"ordered" : [
{"Mark McGwire" : 65 },
{"Sammy Sosa" : 63 },
{"Ken Griffy" : 58 }
]
}
Sequences aka arrays or lists
Scalars aka strings or numbers
Mappings aka hashes or dictionaries
{.style-round}
Based on the YAML.org refcard .
%
Directive indicator
---
Document header
...
Document terminator
Collection indicators {.row-span-2}
?
Key indicator
:
Value indicator
-
Nested series entry indicator
,
Separate in-line branch entries
[]
Surround in-line series branch
{}
Surround in-line keyed branch
&
Anchor property
*
Alias indicator
=
Default "value" mapping key
<<
Merge keys from another mapping
''
Surround in-line unescaped scalar
"
Surround in-line escaped scalar
`
`
>
Folded scalar indicator
-
Strip chomp modifier (`
+
Keep chomp modifier (`
1-9
Explicit indentation modifier (`
Tag Property (usually unspecified) {.col-span-2}
none
Unspecified tag (automatically resolved by application)
!
Non-specific tag (by default, !!map
/!!seq
/!!str
)
!foo
Primary (by convention, means a local !foo
tag)
!!foo
Secondary (by convention, means tag:yaml.org,2002:foo
)
!h!foo
Requires %TAG !h! <prefix>
(and then means <prefix>foo
)
!<foo>
Verbatim tag (always means foo
)
#
Throwaway comment indicator
`@
Both reserved for future use
Core types (default automatic tags) {.row-span-2}
!!map
{Hash table, dictionary, mapping}
!!seq
{List, array, tuple, vector, sequence}
!!str
Unicode string
Escape Codes {.row-span-3}
\x12
(8-bit)
\u1234
(16-bit)
\U00102030
(32-bit)
{.cols-2 .style-none}
\\
(\)
\"
(")
\
( )
\<TAB>
(TAB)
{.cols-3 .style-none}
\0
(NUL)
\a
(BEL)
\b
(BS)
\f
(FF)
\n
(LF)
\r
(CR)
\t
(TAB)
\v
(VTAB)
{.cols-3 .style-none}
\e
(ESC)
\_
(NBSP)
\N
(NEL)
\L
(LS)
\P
(PS)
{.cols-3 .style-none}
!!set
{cherries, plums, apples}
!!omap
[one: 1, two: 2]
Language Independent Scalar Types {.col-span-2}
{~, null}
Null (no value).
[1234, 0x4D2, 02333]
[Decimal int, Hexadecimal int, Octal int]
[1_230.15, 12.3015e+02]
[Fixed float, Exponential float]
[.inf, -.Inf, .NAN]
[Infinity (float), Negative, Not a number]
{Y, true, Yes, ON}
Boolean true
{n, FALSE, No, off}
Boolean false