diff --git a/configuration/config.go b/configuration/config.go
index 3ba325f..f68b113 100644
--- a/configuration/config.go
+++ b/configuration/config.go
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 package configuration
 
 import (
-	"encoding/json"
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"io/ioutil"
@@ -30,6 +29,8 @@ import (
 	"os"
 	"strings"
 
+	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+
 	"github.com/zpatrick/go-config"
 )
 
@@ -74,7 +75,7 @@ func InitConfig() error {
 		contactName              = flag.String("contact-name", "Steffen Vogel", "Name of the administrative contact")
 		contactMail              = flag.String("contact-mail", "svogel2@eonerc.rwth-aachen.de", "EMail of the administrative contact")
 		testDataPath             = flag.String("test-data-path", "database/testdata.json", "The path to the test data json file (used in test mode)")
-		groupsPath               = flag.String("groups-path", "configuration/groups.json", "The path to the JSON file that maps user groups to scenario IDs")
+		groupsPath               = flag.String("groups-path", "configuration/groups.json", "The path to a YAML file that maps user groups to scenario IDs")
 	)
 	flag.Parse()
 
@@ -184,9 +185,9 @@ func ReadGroupsFile(path string) error {
 
 		byteValue, _ := ioutil.ReadAll(jsonFile)
 
-		err = json.Unmarshal(byteValue, &ScenarioGroupMap)
+		err = yaml.Unmarshal(byteValue, &ScenarioGroupMap)
 		if err != nil {
-			return fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling json into ScenarioGroupMap: %v", err)
+			return fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling yaml into ScenarioGroupMap: %v", err)
 		}
 
 		log.Println("ScenarioGroupMap", ScenarioGroupMap)
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index a7c041a..1e9bc17 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ require (
 	golang.org/x/crypto v0.0.0-20200622213623-75b288015ac9
 	gopkg.in/go-playground/validator.v9 v9.30.0
 	gopkg.in/ini.v1 v1.51.0 // indirect
+	gopkg.in/yaml.v3 v3.0.0-20200313102051-9f266ea9e77c // indirect
 )
 
 go 1.15
diff --git a/start.go b/start.go
index e4624e9..f09f550 100644
--- a/start.go
+++ b/start.go
@@ -99,13 +99,13 @@ func main() {
 
 	gPath, err := configuration.GlobalConfig.String("groups.path")
 	if err != nil {
-		log.Fatalf("Error reading path to groups JSON file: %s, aborting.", err)
+		log.Fatalf("Error reading path to groups YAML file: %s, aborting.", err)
 	}
 
 	if gPath != "" {
 		err = configuration.ReadGroupsFile(gPath)
 		if err != nil {
-			log.Fatalf("Error reading groups JSON file: %s, aborting.", err)
+			log.Fatalf("Error reading groups YAML file: %s, aborting.", err)
 		}
 	}