How do you write Liquibase changeLogs in YAML format?

YAML is a supported Liquibase changeLog format that many teams prefer for its readability compared to verbose XML. The structure maps directly to the XML model — databaseChangeLog is the root, containing a list of changeSet entries, each with an id, author, and a list of changes.

databaseChangeLog:
  - changeSet:
      id: 1
      author: lena
      changes:
        - createTable:
            tableName: product
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: id
                  type: BIGINT
                  autoIncrement: true
                  constraints:
                    primaryKey: true
                    nullable: false
              - column:
                  name: name
                  type: VARCHAR(200)
                  constraints:
                    nullable: false
              - column:
                  name: price
                  type: DECIMAL(10, 2)

  - changeSet:
      id: 2
      author: lena
      context: prod
      changes:
        - addColumn:
            tableName: product
            columns:
              - column:
                  name: sku
                  type: VARCHAR(50)
      rollback:
        - dropColumn:
            tableName: product
            columnName: sku

YAML changeLogs support all the same features as XML: preconditions, contexts, labels, rollback, include/includeAll. The root changeLog file uses the same include mechanism:

databaseChangeLog:
  - includeAll:
      path: db/changelog/releases/v1.0/
  - includeAll:
      path: db/changelog/releases/v1.1/

One common pitfall with YAML changeLogs: YAML is whitespace-sensitive, and incorrect indentation causes silent parsing errors or wrong structure interpretation. Use a YAML linter or IDE plugin that validates structure. Also note that the default Spring Boot changeLog file is YAML format (db.changelog-master.yaml), so new Spring Boot projects automatically use YAML unless configured otherwise.

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