The advantages of the YAML file than a properties file is that the data is stored in a hierarchical format. So, it becomes very easy for the developers to debug if there is an issue. The SpringApplication class supports the YAML file as an alternative to properties whenever you use the SnakeYAML library on your classpath. The different ways to load a YAML file in Spring Boot is as follows:
Use YamlMapFactoryBean to load YAML as a Map
Use YamlPropertiesFactoryBean to load YAML as Properties