YAML Sort

A command-line tool to sort YAML files by keys while preserving comments, structure, and formatting.

Features

• Preserves comments - Maintains all inline and standalone comments
• Customizable sorting - Choose between alphabetical or custom key order
• Format preservation - Keeps original indentation and style
• Multi-document support - Handles YAML files with multiple documents (--- separators)
• Strict mode - Optionally validates YAML during processing

Installation

Using Go:

go install github.com/ffais/yaml-sort@latest

Pre-built binaries:

Download from the Releases page

Usage

Basic sorting:

yaml-sort -f input.yaml -o sorted.yaml

Sort with custom key order:

yaml-sort -f input.yaml -o sorted.yaml -k "name,version,dependencies"

Sort in-place (modify file directly):

yaml-sort -f input.yaml -i

Options

  -f, --file string       Input YAML file
  -o, --output string     Output file (defaults to stdout if not specified)
  -i, --in-place          Modify input file directly
  -k, --keys string       Comma-separated list of keys for custom ordering
  -s, --strict            Enable strict YAML parsing
  -v, --version           Display version information
  -h, --help              Show help message

Examples

1. Sort a Kubernetes manifest:

yaml-sort -f deployment.yaml -o sorted-deployment.yaml

2. Sort with specific key priority:

yaml-sort -f config.yaml -k "apiVersion,kind,metadata,spec"

3. Pipe input/output:

cat input.yaml | yaml-sort > sorted.yaml

Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! Please ensure:

• Tests pass (go test ./...)
• Code is formatted (go fmt)
• New features include appropriate tests

License

MIT - See LICENSE file for details.