JSON is the default for APIs, structured data, and machine pipelines. YAML is often preferred for configuration files and human editing because it removes braces and commas, making large objects easier to scan. Converting between them lets you keep one canonical source while using the most readable format in each context.

For AI workflows, YAML can reduce token usage by removing repetitive JSON punctuation. That means smaller prompts, lower costs, and faster model responses. When you need strict compatibility or to pass data into APIs, you can convert YAML back into valid JSON.

Optimized JSON is the smallest valid JSON representation. Use it when you must keep JSON but want to minimize payload size and token count without changing formats.

JSON:
{
  "service": "cmds.fun",
  "enabled": true,
  "tags": ["cli", "tools"],
  "limits": { "max": 10, "min": 1 }
}

YAML:
service: cmds.fun
enabled: true
tags:
  - cli
  - tools
limits:
  max: 10
  min: 1

YAML:
project: toon
version: 1
features:
  - compact
  - readable

JSON:
{
  "project": "toon",
  "version": 1,
  "features": ["compact", "readable"]
}