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Specifications
YAMAML

YAMAML

YAMAML (Yet Another Metadata Application Profile and RDF Mapping Language) is the core YAML-native language of the YAMA family (circa 2019). It is a human-friendly markup language for creating, managing, and publishing metadata application profiles.

A YAMAML document describes the structure and constraints of metadata records using YAML 1.2 syntax, and can be transformed into RDF, SHACL, ShEx, OWL-DSP, SimpleDSP, DCTAP, and Frictionless Data Packages.

Full Specification
The complete YAMAML specification, version 0.2.0
Authoring in PKL
Type-safe authoring layer that renders to YAMAML
Examples
Worked YAMAML profiles you can study and download

At a Glance

  • Human-readable — author in a plain text editor
  • YAML-native — parsable by any YAML 1.2 parser
  • Multi-target — one source, many outputs
  • Extensible — custom keys are permitted
  • Practical — optional data mapping for RDF generation

Authoring Layers

YAMAML is the canonical source of truth for the language semantics, but you can author profiles in multiple surface syntaxes that all render to the same underlying model:

  • YAMAML (YAML) — the default, canonical format. Simple, portable, works everywhere.
  • PKL — Apple’s typed configuration language. Ideal for large profiles that benefit from strong typing, editor autocomplete, and modular composition. Learn more →