YAML Diff
Compare two YAML documents with line, word, character, or unified patch diff modes. Normalize YAML before comparison to focus on structure instead of formatting changes.
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What is YAML Diff?
The YAML Diff tool compares two YAML documents and highlights the differences. It parses both YAML inputs and reformats them to a canonical form before diffing, so differences in indentation style and key order are ignored. You can choose between line-level, word-level, and unified patch diff modes. The result shows added, removed, and changed lines. All processing happens in the browser.
How does YAML Diff work?
This tool parses two YAML strings into JavaScript objects, re-serializes them with consistent formatting, then runs a text diff algorithm to produce a change report. This normalization ensures the diff focuses on data changes rather than formatting differences.
Key Features
- Line, word, and unified patch diff modes
- Normalized comparison ignores formatting differences
- Added and removed change counts
- Color-coded diff output
- Copy diff to clipboard
- Download as text file
- Real-time comparison
- Runs in the browser with no uploads
Common Use Cases
Reviewing Kubernetes manifest changes
Compare two versions of a Kubernetes YAML manifest to verify the changes before applying.
Auditing CI/CD pipeline configs
Diff two versions of a CI/CD YAML configuration to identify what changed.
Comparing Docker Compose files
Check differences between two docker-compose.yml files across environments.
Reviewing Helm values files
Diff two Helm values.yaml files to see which settings changed between releases.
How to Use This Tool
Paste both YAML documents
Enter the original YAML on the left and the modified YAML on the right.
Choose diff mode
Select line, word, or unified patch mode.
View the diff
The tool shows the differences with color coding and a change summary.
Pro Tips
- 1
Normalized mode filters out indentation and key-order differences.
- 2
Line diff is the most readable for reviewing config changes.
- 3
The tool handles nested YAML structures and multi-line strings.
- 4
For Kubernetes and Docker Compose, YAML is the standard format.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does normalized comparison do?
It parses both YAML documents and reformats them with consistent style before diffing. This ignores indentation and key-order differences so the diff focuses on actual data changes.
What diff modes are available?
Line diff, word diff, and unified patch. Line diff is the best default for reviewing configuration changes.
Is my YAML uploaded to a server?
No. All comparison happens in your browser using JavaScript. The YAML never leaves your device.
Can I compare YAML with different indentation?
Yes. Normalized comparison reformats both documents to the same style before diffing, so indentation differences are ignored.
Does it handle multi-line YAML strings?
Yes. The tool correctly parses and compares multi-line string values in YAML format.