yamlANYyamlindentationstyle
yaml
app:
name: Cheatsheet.today
seo:
enabled: trueTwo spaces is the most common convention and works well across teams.
YAML Indentation and Structure
Indentation patterns, nested lists and maps, and practical commands for catching whitespace and structure mistakes.
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Copy the compact sheet, download it, or print it.
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`D` dense toggle · `C` copy all
Indentation rules
Examples that show what valid nesting looks like and how structure changes.
yamlANYyamlindentationerrors
yaml
app:
name: Cheatsheet.today
seo:
enabled: trueEven one extra space can change meaning or break parsing altogether.
yamlANYyamllistindentation
yaml
services:
- api
- web
- workerList items should align consistently under the key they belong to.
yamlANYyamllistmapping
yaml
users:
- name: Jonathan
role: admin
- name: Sarah
role: editorA common pattern for config, deployments, pipelines, and API fixtures.
Linting and safe edits
Commands that reduce indentation errors before they hit production.
bashANYyamlyamllintconfig
bash
yamllint -d '{extends: default, rules: {line-length: disable}}' config.yamlHelpful when you want structural checks without enforcing every style rule.
bashANYyamlwhitespacedebugging
bash
sed -n 'l' config.yamlUseful when a file looks correct but still fails because of hidden whitespace or tabs.
bashANYyamltabslint
bash
grep -nP '\t' config.yamlYAML should use spaces, not tabs, for indentation.
bashANYyamlprettierformat
bash
prettier --write config.yamlPrettier helps reduce noisy diffs and keeps YAML files consistent across a repo.
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Common syntax errors, duplicate keys, parser checks, and validation workflows for debugging YAML faster.
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High-value yq commands for reading, updating, filtering, converting, and merging YAML in local scripts and CI pipelines.
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Document separators, multi-resource YAML files, and commands for splitting, filtering, and validating streamed YAML.
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Reusable YAML patterns using anchors and aliases, with merge examples and commands for expanding and validating resolved config.