20 YAML Interview Questions and Answers

YAML is a popular language for web development and configuration files. When applying for a position in coding or web development, it is likely that employers will expect you to have a strong understanding and familiarity with YAML. Understanding what YAML questions you are most likely to encounter and how to properly answer them improves your chances of making a positive impression on the hiring manager. In this article, we discuss the most commonly asked YAML questions and how you should respond.

YAML Interview Questions and Answers

Here are 20 commonly asked YAML interview questions and answers to prepare you for your interview:

1. What is YAML?

YAML is a data serialization format that is designed to be easy to read and write. It is often used for configuration files, but can be used for other purposes as well.

2. Can you explain what the acronym YAML stands for?

YAML stands for “YAML Ain’t Markup Language”. It is a data serialization format that is designed to be human-readable and easy to process by computers.

3. Why do we need a data serialization language like YAML?

Data serialization is the process of converting data structures or objects into a format that can be stored and transmitted. This is necessary because different computers and programming languages often store and handle data differently. YAML is one of many data serialization languages that helps to make data transfer possible between different systems.

4. What are some common use cases of YAML?

YAML is often used for configuration files, since it is easy to read and write. It is also often used for data serialization, such as in transmitting data over a network or storing it in a database.

5. What are the main features and benefits of using YAML?

YAML is a data serialization format that is designed to be both human and machine readable. It is often used for configuration files, but can be used for other purposes as well. YAML is easy to learn and use, and is also relatively concise.

6. How does YAML compare to JSON or XML?

YAML is a data serialization format that is designed to be human-readable and easy to understand. It is similar to JSON and XML, but it is not as verbose as XML. This makes it a good choice for configuration files or other situations where you want the data to be easily readable by humans.

7. Is it possible to use arrays in YAML? If yes, then how?

Yes, it is possible to use arrays in YAML. Arrays can be created using either the standard YAML syntax or the shorthand syntax. To create an array using the standard syntax, you will need to use the “-” character followed by a space, and then the value that you want to add to the array. For example:

– value1
– value2
– value3

To create an array using the shorthand syntax, you will need to use the “[” and “]” characters, and then list the values that you want to add to the array separated by commas. For example:

[value1, value2, value3]

8. Is it possible to create comments in YAML? If so, then how can this be done?

Yes, it is possible to create comments in YAML. To do so, you simply need to use the “#” symbol at the beginning of the line that you want to be considered a comment.

9. Are there any limitations when using YAML with Python?

Yes, there are a few limitations. One is that YAML cannot support all of Python’s data types. For example, YAML cannot support Python’s complex data types, such as tuples and dictionaries with nested lists. Additionally, YAML cannot support Python’s class objects.

10. How do you define a multiline string in YAML?

You can use the “>” character to denote a multiline string in YAML. Anything that follows the “>” character on the next line will be considered part of the string, until a new line is reached. For example:

multiline_string: >
This is a
multiline string.

11. Which version of YAML is supported by Salesforce?

Salesforce supports version 1.1 of YAML.

12. What’s the difference between YAML and YML?

YAML and YML are both ways of writing data in a human-readable format. YAML is the more common of the two, and is generally used for configuration files and data serialization. YML is a subset of YAML, and is often used for configuration files as well.

13. What are anchors used for in YAML?

Anchors are used in YAML to create aliases for pieces of data. This can be useful when you want to reuse a section of data multiple times without having to duplicate it.

14. What is the best way to represent floating point numbers in YAML?

The best way to represent floating point numbers in YAML is to use the “!!float” tag. This tag tells the YAML parser that the value should be parsed as a floating point number.

15. How can you include special characters as part of a string value in YAML?

You can use the “!” tag to indicate that the following character should be interpreted as a literal. For example, if you wanted to include an exclamation point as part of a string, you would write it as “!exclamation point”.

16. What are block literals and folded blocks?

Block literals are YAML representations of multi-line strings. Folded blocks are a type of block literal where the newlines between the lines of the string are removed. This can be useful for making long strings more readable, or for removing unnecessary newlines from a string.

17. What are flow collections in YAML?

Flow collections are used to represent data structures in YAML. Flow collections use a variety of different symbols to denote different data types, such as curly braces for objects, square brackets for arrays, and angle brackets for strings. Flow collections are typically used when data is being serialized, such as when it is being converted from one format to another.

18. What happens if an empty array is specified inside a mapping?

If an empty array is specified inside a mapping, it will be ignored.

19. What is your opinion on the security of YAML?

I believe that YAML is a very secure format. It is designed to be both human and machine readable, which makes it less likely for there to be errors that could lead to security vulnerabilities. Additionally, the YAML specification includes a section on security considerations, which outlines various security risks and how to mitigate them.

20. What are some real-world use cases of YAML?

YAML is often used for configuration files, since it is easy for humans to read and write. It is also used in data serialization, for example in storing data for AJAX calls in web applications.