Beyond XML and JSON: YAML for Java Developers

Despite all the buzz generated by dynamic languages (Ruby, Groovy, Python, etc.) and their related frameworks (such as Ruby on Rails), the vast majority of Java developers reading this paper deal mostly with pure Java at their day jobs and will continue to do so for many years to come. However, that doesn't mean that they can't learn something from the new kids on the block and add a new tool to their arsenals. This paper introduces the YAML (short for YAML Ain't Markup Language) file format (popularized by the Ruby on Rails framework, which uses YAML for all of its configuration files) and shows how it differs from XML and JSON. It goes on to examine YAML's advantages and drawbacks.