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Why YAML is Better than JSON for API Collections

MM
Marcelo Matz
Developer and creator of Heapi

When designing Heapi's storage system, I had to choose a format for saving collections and environments. The industry standard has overwhelmingly been JSON. But as developers, we all know the pain of resolving merge conflicts in a massive JSON file.

The Problem with JSON

JSON was designed as a data interchange format, not a configuration or storage format for humans. It lacks comments, requires strict quoting, and doesn't handle multi-line strings gracefully (say hello to endless \n escapes in your request bodies).

When you commit a JSON-based API collection to Git, any minor change can result in noisy diffs, making code reviews frustrating.

Enter YAML

YAML solves these problems beautifully for API collections:

  • Readability: Without the clutter of brackets and quotes, YAML is much easier to scan.
  • Multi-line strings: Request bodies, scripts, and notes can be formatted naturally using YAML's | block scalar.
  • Comments: You can document your requests right alongside the configuration.
  • Git Diffs: Line-by-line diffs in YAML are clean and easy to resolve when merging branches.

Embracing Docs-as-Code

By using YAML, Heapi treats your API collections exactly like your code. You have total ownership of your data, and your team can collaborate using the same pull-request workflow they already use for the codebase.