diff --git a/.clang-format b/.clang-format
index 8bb6ededfdb..b1963c909f3 100644
--- a/.clang-format
+++ b/.clang-format
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ IncludeCategories:
   - Regex:    '^<(omp|cu|hip|oneapi|thrust|CL/|cooperative|mpi|nvToolsExt|Kokkos).*'
     Priority: 2
     SortPriority: 3
-  - Regex:    '^<(nlohmann|gflags|gtest|sde_lib|papi).*'
+  - Regex:    '^<(yaml-cpp|nlohmann|gflags|gtest|sde_lib|papi).*'
     Priority: 4
   - Regex:    '<ginkgo/ginkgo.hpp>'
     Priority: 6
diff --git a/extensions/test/config/CMakeLists.txt b/extensions/test/config/CMakeLists.txt
index a3f2017d530..14be75625a8 100644
--- a/extensions/test/config/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/extensions/test/config/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,20 @@
+find_package(yaml-cpp 0.8.0 QUIET)
+if(NOT yaml-cpp_FOUND)
+message(STATUS "Fetching external yaml-cpp")
+    FetchContent_Declare(
+    yaml-cpp
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/jbeder/yaml-cpp.git
+    GIT_TAG 0.8.0
+    )
+    FetchContent_MakeAvailable(yaml-cpp)
+endif()
 ginkgo_create_test(json_config ADDITIONAL_LIBRARIES nlohmann_json::nlohmann_json)
+ginkgo_create_test(yaml_config ADDITIONAL_LIBRARIES yaml-cpp::yaml-cpp)
 
 # prepare the testing file and generate location
 configure_file("${Ginkgo_SOURCE_DIR}/extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp.in"
     "${Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR}/extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp" @ONLY)
 configure_file(test.json "${Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR}/extensions/test/config/test.json")
+configure_file(test.yaml "${Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR}/extensions/test/config/test.yaml")
+configure_file(alias.yaml "${Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR}/extensions/test/config/alias.yaml")
+configure_file(nested_alias.yaml "${Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR}/extensions/test/config/nested_alias.yaml")
diff --git a/extensions/test/config/alias.yaml b/extensions/test/config/alias.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..9fddb039346
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/test/config/alias.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+base: &base_config
+    key1: 123
+base2: &base_config2
+    key2: test
+test:
+    <<: [*base_config, *base_config2]
+    key3: true
diff --git a/extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp.in b/extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp.in
index 3d2a462c19d..cf4cb7bc162 100644
--- a/extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp.in
+++ b/extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp.in
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@ namespace config {
 
 const char* location_test_json =
     "@Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR@/extensions/test/config/test.json";
+const char* location_test_yaml =
+    "@Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR@/extensions/test/config/test.yaml";
+const char* location_alias_yaml =
+    "@Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR@/extensions/test/config/alias.yaml";
+const char* location_nested_alias_yaml =
+    "@Ginkgo_BINARY_DIR@/extensions/test/config/nested_alias.yaml";
+
 
 
 }  // namespace config
diff --git a/extensions/test/config/nested_alias.yaml b/extensions/test/config/nested_alias.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..62544aba4f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/test/config/nested_alias.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+base: &base_config
+    key1: 123
+base2: &base_config2
+    <<: *base_config
+    key2: test
+test:
+    <<: *base_config2
+    key2: override
+    key3: true
diff --git a/extensions/test/config/test.yaml b/extensions/test/config/test.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..986512727f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/test/config/test.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+item: 4
+array:
+    - 3.0
+    - 4.5
+map:
+    bool: false
diff --git a/extensions/test/config/yaml_config.cpp b/extensions/test/config/yaml_config.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2e86127de39
--- /dev/null
+++ b/extensions/test/config/yaml_config.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2017 - 2024 The Ginkgo authors
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+#include <ostream>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <string>
+
+#include <gtest/gtest.h>
+#include <yaml-cpp/yaml.h>
+
+#include <ginkgo/core/config/property_tree.hpp>
+#include <ginkgo/extensions/config/yaml_config.hpp>
+
+#include "core/test/utils.hpp"
+#include "extensions/test/config/file_location.hpp"
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ThrowIfInvalid)
+{
+    const char yaml[] = "test: null";
+    auto d = YAML::Load(yaml);
+
+    ASSERT_THROW(gko::ext::config::parse_yaml(d), std::runtime_error);
+}
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ReadMap)
+{
+    const char yaml[] = R"(
+test: A
+bool: true
+)";
+    auto d = YAML::Load(yaml);
+
+    auto ptree = gko::ext::config::parse_yaml(d);
+
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().size(), 2);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get("test").get_string(), "A");
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get("bool").get_boolean(), true);
+}
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ReadArray)
+{
+    const char yaml[] = R"(
+- A
+- B
+- C
+)";
+    auto d = YAML::Load(yaml);
+
+    auto ptree = gko::ext::config::parse_yaml(d);
+
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_array().size(), 3);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get(0).get_string(), "A");
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get(1).get_string(), "B");
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get(2).get_string(), "C");
+}
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ReadInput)
+{
+    const char yaml[] = R"(
+item: 4
+array:
+  - 3.0
+  - 4.5 
+map: 
+  bool: false)";
+    auto d = YAML::Load(yaml);
+
+    auto ptree = gko::ext::config::parse_yaml(d);
+
+    auto& child_array = ptree.get("array").get_array();
+    auto& child_map = ptree.get("map").get_map();
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().size(), 3);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get("item").get_integer(), 4);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_array.size(), 2);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_array.at(0).get_real(), 3.0);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_array.at(1).get_real(), 4.5);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_map.size(), 1);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_map.at("bool").get_boolean(), false);
+}
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ReadInputFromFile)
+{
+    auto ptree =
+        gko::ext::config::parse_yaml_file(gko::ext::config::location_test_yaml);
+
+    auto& child_array = ptree.get("array").get_array();
+    auto& child_map = ptree.get("map").get_map();
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().size(), 3);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get("item").get_integer(), 4);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_array.size(), 2);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_array.at(0).get_real(), 3.0);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_array.at(1).get_real(), 4.5);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_map.size(), 1);
+    ASSERT_EQ(child_map.at("bool").get_boolean(), false);
+}
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ReadInputFromFileWithAlias)
+{
+    auto yaml = YAML::LoadFile(gko::ext::config::location_alias_yaml);
+
+    auto ptree = gko::ext::config::parse_yaml(yaml["test"]);
+
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().size(), 3);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().at("key1").get_integer(), 123);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().at("key2").get_string(), "test");
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().at("key3").get_boolean(), true);
+}
+
+
+TEST(YamlConfig, ReadInputFromFileWithNestedAliasAndOverwrite)
+{
+    auto yaml = YAML::LoadFile(gko::ext::config::location_nested_alias_yaml);
+
+    auto ptree = gko::ext::config::parse_yaml(yaml["test"]);
+
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().size(), 3);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().at("key1").get_integer(), 123);
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().at("key2").get_string(), "override");
+    ASSERT_EQ(ptree.get_map().at("key3").get_boolean(), true);
+}
diff --git a/include/ginkgo/extensions/config/yaml_config.hpp b/include/ginkgo/extensions/config/yaml_config.hpp
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b7dfd07a593
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/ginkgo/extensions/config/yaml_config.hpp
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2017 - 2024 The Ginkgo authors
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+#ifndef GKO_PUBLIC_EXTENSIONS_CONFIG_JSON_CONFIG_HPP_
+#define GKO_PUBLIC_EXTENSIONS_CONFIG_JSON_CONFIG_HPP_
+
+#include <iostream>
+#include <stdexcept>
+#include <string>
+
+#include <yaml-cpp/yaml.h>
+
+#include <ginkgo/core/config/property_tree.hpp>
+
+
+namespace gko {
+namespace ext {
+namespace config {
+
+
+/**
+ * parse_yaml takes the yaml-cpp node object to generate the property tree
+ * object
+ */
+inline gko::config::pnode parse_yaml(const YAML::Node& input)
+{
+    auto parse_array = [](const auto& arr) {
+        gko::config::pnode::array_type nodes;
+        for (const auto& it : arr) {
+            nodes.emplace_back(parse_yaml(it));
+        }
+        return gko::config::pnode{nodes};
+    };
+    auto parse_map = [](const auto& map) {
+        gko::config::pnode::map_type nodes;
+        // use [] to get override behavior
+        for (YAML::const_iterator it = map.begin(); it != map.end(); ++it) {
+            std::string key = it->first.as<std::string>();
+            // yaml-cpp keeps the alias without resolving it when parsing.
+            // We resolve them here.
+            if (key == "<<") {
+                auto node = parse_yaml(it->second);
+                if (node.get_tag() == gko::config::pnode::tag_t::array) {
+                    for (const auto& arr : node.get_array()) {
+                        for (const auto& item : arr.get_map()) {
+                            nodes[item.first] = item.second;
+                        }
+                    }
+                } else if (node.get_tag() == gko::config::pnode::tag_t::map) {
+                    for (const auto& item : node.get_map()) {
+                        nodes[item.first] = item.second;
+                    }
+                } else {
+                    std::runtime_error("can not handle this alias: " +
+                                       YAML::Dump(it->second));
+                }
+            } else {
+                std::string content = it->first.as<std::string>();
+                nodes[key] = parse_yaml(it->second);
+            }
+        }
+        return gko::config::pnode{nodes};
+    };
+    // yaml-cpp does not have type check
+    auto parse_data = [](const auto& data) {
+        if (std::int64_t value;
+            YAML::convert<std::int64_t>::decode(data, value)) {
+            return gko::config::pnode{value};
+        }
+        if (bool value; YAML::convert<bool>::decode(data, value)) {
+            return gko::config::pnode{value};
+        }
+        if (double value; YAML::convert<double>::decode(data, value)) {
+            return gko::config::pnode{value};
+        }
+        if (std::string value;
+            YAML::convert<std::string>::decode(data, value)) {
+            return gko::config::pnode{value};
+        }
+        std::string content = YAML::Dump(data);
+        throw std::runtime_error(
+            "property_tree can not handle the node with content: " + content);
+    };
+
+    if (input.IsSequence()) {
+        return parse_array(input);
+    }
+    if (input.IsMap()) {
+        return parse_map(input);
+    }
+    return parse_data(input);
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * parse_yaml_file takes the yaml file to generate the property tree object
+ *
+ * @note Because YAML always needs a entry for reusing, there will be more than
+ * one entry when putting the anchors in the top level. This function can not
+ * know which entry is the actual solver, so please use the parse_yaml function.
+ */
+inline gko::config::pnode parse_yaml_file(std::string filename)
+{
+    return parse_yaml(YAML::LoadFile(filename));
+}
+
+
+}  // namespace config
+}  // namespace ext
+}  // namespace gko
+
+
+#endif  // GKO_PUBLIC_EXTENSIONS_CONFIG_JSON_CONFIG_HPP_