19
Had to choose between tokens in JSON or YAML for our design system last quarter
We had this big project where we needed to store all our design tokens. Half the team wanted JSON because it's what the devs already use. I pushed for YAML since it's easier for designers to read and edit. After 3 weeks of back and forth, we went with JSON because it played nicer with our frontend tools. Has anyone else had to fight this battle in their team?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
leo_price1d ago
YAML all the way for design tokens honestly. JSON is just ugly when you have to hand edit values for colors and spacing. Ive had to stare at nested JSON for hours during design sprints and it makes my eyes bleed. YAML is so much cleaner for humans to read and update. But yeah I get it, the dev tools often force your hand. We ended up using a converter that takes YAML and spits out JSON for the build pipeline so everyone wins. Its a pain to set up but saves so much headache later.
5
wadeyoung1d ago
Didnt Smashing Magazine run an article saying YAML causes more parsing errors in CI pipelines?
5