Compare JSON or YAML
Compare two JSON or YAML documents and review added, removed, changed or type-changed values.
Processed locally in your browser. Both documents are processed on this device for Compare's core task and are not uploaded to MeaningKit's server.
No document yet.
No document yet.
Add JSON or YAML on both sides to compare.
How to use
- Paste, type or load a document on the left and on the right, from a local file or one of the built-in samples.
- Choose JSON or YAML for either side, or leave it on Auto and let it detect the format from the content or file extension.
- The comparison runs automatically once both sides are valid. There is no separate Compare button.
- Read the list of differences, or search it by path or value. Select a search result to jump straight to it.
Worked example
Load the built-in samples on both sides. They show a small project record with a changed version number, a changed owner name, a value that changed type, a removed key and an added key, all listed clearly.
About the views
How comparison works
Compare works on the parsed structure of each document rather than the original text. Object and mapping key order does not affect the result. Quoting style, comments and whitespace are not compared. Arrays and sequences are compared by position, so an item inserted near the beginning can show every later item as changed. This is expected behaviour, not a fault. Compare never infers a rename or a move. If a key disappears and a different key appears, they are always shown as a removal and an addition, never combined into one change.
Limitations
- This is a structural comparison of parsed data, not a comparison of the original source text.
- Object and mapping key order does not affect the result. The difference list is always shown in a fixed, repeatable order.
- Arrays and sequences are compared by position only. Compare never tries to detect that an item was moved.
- A document with a duplicate YAML key, an unsupported merge key, a non-string key or a custom tag cannot be compared until that side is fixed. This matches YAML Viewer's existing behaviour.
- There is no export yet.
Privacy and accessibility
Privacy
Both documents stay on this device during normal use. MeaningKit does not intentionally send their content, filenames or comparison searches to its servers for processing. Read the privacy page.
Accessibility
Each difference has a clear text label: Added, Removed, Changed value or Changed type. Colour is never the only way a change is identified. Selecting a search result moves keyboard focus directly to the matching item. Read the accessibility page.