YamlDotNet is a .NET library for YAML. YamlDotNet provides low level parsing and emitting of YAML as well as a high level object model similar to XmlDocument. A serialization library is also included that allows to read and write objects from and to YAML streams.
YamlDotNet provides low level parsing and emitting of YAML as well as a high level object model similar to XmlDocument. A serialization library is also included that allows to read and write objects from and to YAML streams.
YamlDotNet's conformance with YAML specifications:
YAML, which stands for "YAML Ain't Markup Language", is described as "a human friendly data serialization standard for all programming languages". Like XML, it allows to represent about any kind of data in a portable, platform-independent format. Unlike XML, it is "human friendly", which means that it is easy for a human to read or produce a valid YAML document.
The YamlDotNet library
The library has now been successfully used in multiple projects and is considered fairly stable. It is compatible with the following runtimes:
netstandard 2.0
netstandard 2.1
.NET 6.0
.NET 8.0
.NET Framework 4.7
Quick start
Here are some quick samples to get you started which can be viewed in this fiddle.
Serialization from an object to a string
using YamlDotNet.Serialization;
using YamlDotNet.Serialization.NamingConventions;
...
var person = new Person
{
Name = "Abe Lincoln",
Age = 25,
HeightInInches = 6f + 4f / 12f,
Addresses = new Dictionary<string, Address>{
{ "home", new Address() {
Street = "2720 Sundown Lane",
City = "Kentucketsville",
State = "Calousiyorkida",
Zip = "99978",
}},
{ "work", new Address() {
Street = "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW",
City = "Washington",
State = "District of Columbia",
Zip = "20500",
}},
}
};
var serializer = new SerializerBuilder()
.WithNamingConvention(CamelCaseNamingConvention.Instance)
.Build();
var yaml = serializer.Serialize(person);
System.Console.WriteLine(yaml);
// Output:
// name: Abe Lincoln
// age: 25
// heightInInches: 6.3333334922790527
// addresses:
// home:
// street: 2720 Sundown Lane
// city: Kentucketsville
// state: Calousiyorkida
// zip: 99978
// work:
// street: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
// city: Washington
// state: District of Columbia
// zip: 20500
Deserialization from a string to an object
using YamlDotNet.Serialization;
using YamlDotNet.Serialization.NamingConventions;
...
var yml = @"
name: George Washington
age: 89
height_in_inches: 5.75
addresses:
home:
street: 400 Mockingbird Lane
city: Louaryland
state: Hawidaho
zip: 99970
";
var deserializer = new DeserializerBuilder()
.WithNamingConvention(UnderscoredNamingConvention.Instance) // see height_in_inches in sample yml
.Build();
//yml contains a string containing your YAML
var p = deserializer.Deserialize<Person>(yml);
var h = p.Addresses["home"];
System.Console.WriteLine($"{p.Name} is {p.Age} years old and lives at {h.Street} in {h.City}, {h.State}.");
// Output:
// George Washington is 89 years old and lives at 400 Mockingbird Lane in Louaryland, Hawidaho.
