# yaml file extension

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/yaml-file-extension/12198>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [January 12, 2013, 9:08am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yaml-file-extension/12198 "2013-01-12T09:08:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Yves\_Dorfsman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yves\_Dorfsman](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Yves_Dorfsman)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 9:08am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yaml-file-extension/12198/1 "2013-01-12T09:08:07Z")

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This is totally cosmetic, but thought I'd ask...

In the past I've usually seen the extension .yaml, but all the examples and tests in ansible use ".yml". Funnily enough there is one .yaml file, the YAML documentation. I've looked it up and found:

[http://www.yaml.org/faq.html](http://www.yaml.org/faq.html)  
Is there an official extension for YAML files?  
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Please use ".yaml" when possible.

Any reason for having picked .yml?

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**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 2:22pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yaml-file-extension/12198/2 "2013-01-12T14:22:03Z")

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Three letter extensions owe historical relevance from DOS.

They also save typing.

I'm really not interested in changing them, but if you name them  
".gizmo\_widget" everything will still work. There is nothing in  
Ansible that cares about file extensions.

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**Author:** ![Yves\_Dorfsman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yves\_Dorfsman](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Yves_Dorfsman)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yaml-file-extension/12198/3 "2013-01-12T15:06:41Z")

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Yes I noticed, I went with .yaml for my playbooks, and it's fine.

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**Author:** ![Brian\_Coca1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Brian\_Coca1](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Brian_Coca1)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/yaml-file-extension/12198/4 "2013-01-12T16:35:25Z")

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mine use the extentions .no\_its\_not\_xml\_so\_it\_is\_actually\_human\_readable