yq – YAML Processor

yq is a lightweight, portable command-line YAML processor. Similar to jq but for YAML, it enables querying and manipulating YAML files with a simple expression syntax.

Key Features

• YAML Support: Read, write, and transform YAML
• JSON Conversion: Convert between formats
• jq-like Syntax: Familiar expression language
• In-Place Edit: Modify files directly
• Multi-Document: Handle YAML streams

Installation

Install yq:

# Via snap
sudo snap install yq

# Via wget
wget https://github.com/mikefarah/yq/releases/latest/download/yq_linux_amd64 -O /usr/local/bin/yq
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/yq

Usage Examples

Common yq operations:

# Read value
yq ".apiVersion" deployment.yaml

# Update value
yq -i ".spec.replicas = 5" deployment.yaml

# Add item to array
yq -i ".items += [\"new\"]" config.yaml

# Convert YAML to JSON
yq -o json config.yaml

Benefits

yq brings jq-style power to YAML files. Essential for managing Kubernetes manifests and configuration files from the command line.

Download yq