diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/encoder.go b/pkg/yqlib/encoder.go
index e9fae6af..e0ecaccf 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/encoder.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/encoder.go
@@ -1,10 +1,6 @@
 package yqlib
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
-	"encoding/json"
-	"errors"
-	"fmt"
 	"io"
 
 	yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
@@ -17,162 +13,17 @@ type Encoder interface {
 	CanHandleAliases() bool
 }
 
-// orderedMap allows to marshal and unmarshal JSON and YAML values keeping the
-// order of keys and values in a map or an object.
-type orderedMap struct {
-	// if this is an object, kv != nil. If this is not an object, kv == nil.
-	kv     []orderedMapKV
-	altVal interface{}
-}
+func mapKeysToStrings(node *yaml.Node) {
 
-type orderedMapKV struct {
-	K string
-	V orderedMap
-}
-
-func (o *orderedMap) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
-	switch data[0] {
-	case '{':
-		// initialise so that even if the object is empty it is not nil
-		o.kv = []orderedMapKV{}
-
-		// create decoder
-		dec := json.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(data))
-		_, err := dec.Token() // open object
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-
-		// cycle through k/v
-		var tok json.Token
-		for tok, err = dec.Token(); err == nil; tok, err = dec.Token() {
-			// we can expect two types: string or Delim. Delim automatically means
-			// that it is the closing bracket of the object, whereas string means
-			// that there is another key.
-			if _, ok := tok.(json.Delim); ok {
-				break
+	if node.Kind == yaml.MappingNode {
+		for index, child := range node.Content {
+			if index%2 == 0 { // its a map key
+				child.Tag = "!!str"
 			}
-			kv := orderedMapKV{
-				K: tok.(string),
-			}
-			if err := dec.Decode(&kv.V); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			o.kv = append(o.kv, kv)
 		}
-		// unexpected error
-		if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
-			return err
-		}
-		return nil
-	case '[':
-		var res []*orderedMap
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &res); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		o.altVal = res
-		o.kv = nil
-		return nil
 	}
 
-	return json.Unmarshal(data, &o.altVal)
-}
-
-func (o orderedMap) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
-	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
-	enc := json.NewEncoder(buf)
-	enc.SetEscapeHTML(false) // do not escape html chars e.g. &, <, >
-	if o.kv == nil {
-		if err := enc.Encode(o.altVal); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		return buf.Bytes(), nil
-	}
-	buf.WriteByte('{')
-	for idx, el := range o.kv {
-		if err := enc.Encode(el.K); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		buf.WriteByte(':')
-		if err := enc.Encode(el.V); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		if idx != len(o.kv)-1 {
-			buf.WriteByte(',')
-		}
-	}
-	buf.WriteByte('}')
-	return buf.Bytes(), nil
-}
-
-func (o *orderedMap) UnmarshalYAML(node *yaml.Node) error {
-	switch node.Kind {
-	case yaml.DocumentNode:
-		if len(node.Content) == 0 {
-			return nil
-		}
-		return o.UnmarshalYAML(node.Content[0])
-	case yaml.AliasNode:
-		return o.UnmarshalYAML(node.Alias)
-	case yaml.ScalarNode:
-		return node.Decode(&o.altVal)
-	case yaml.MappingNode:
-		// set kv to non-nil
-		o.kv = []orderedMapKV{}
-		for i := 0; i < len(node.Content); i += 2 {
-			var key string
-			var val orderedMap
-			if err := node.Content[i].Decode(&key); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			if err := node.Content[i+1].Decode(&val); err != nil {
-				return err
-			}
-			o.kv = append(o.kv, orderedMapKV{
-				K: key,
-				V: val,
-			})
-		}
-		return nil
-	case yaml.SequenceNode:
-		// note that this has to be a pointer, so that nulls can be represented.
-		var res []*orderedMap
-		if err := node.Decode(&res); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		o.altVal = res
-		o.kv = nil
-		return nil
-	case 0:
-		// null
-		o.kv = nil
-		o.altVal = nil
-		return nil
-	default:
-		return fmt.Errorf("orderedMap: invalid yaml node")
+	for _, child := range node.Content {
+		mapKeysToStrings(child)
 	}
 }
-
-func (o *orderedMap) MarshalYAML() (interface{}, error) {
-	// fast path: kv is nil, use altVal
-	if o.kv == nil {
-		return o.altVal, nil
-	}
-	content := make([]*yaml.Node, 0, len(o.kv)*2)
-	for _, val := range o.kv {
-		n := new(yaml.Node)
-		if err := n.Encode(val.V); err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		content = append(content, &yaml.Node{
-			Kind:  yaml.ScalarNode,
-			Tag:   "!!str",
-			Value: val.K,
-		}, n)
-	}
-	return &yaml.Node{
-		Kind:    yaml.MappingNode,
-		Tag:     "!!map",
-		Content: content,
-	}, nil
-}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/encoder_json.go b/pkg/yqlib/encoder_json.go
index 9f5b71ac..6039578f 100644
--- a/pkg/yqlib/encoder_json.go
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/encoder_json.go
@@ -14,21 +14,6 @@ type jsonEncoder struct {
 	UnwrapScalar bool
 }
 
-func mapKeysToStrings(node *yaml.Node) {
-
-	if node.Kind == yaml.MappingNode {
-		for index, child := range node.Content {
-			if index%2 == 0 { // its a map key
-				child.Tag = "!!str"
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
-	for _, child := range node.Content {
-		mapKeysToStrings(child)
-	}
-}
-
 func NewJSONEncoder(indent int, colorise bool, unwrapScalar bool) Encoder {
 	var indentString = ""
 
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map.go b/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a783423b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map.go
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+package yqlib
+
+// orderedMap allows to marshal and unmarshal JSON and YAML values keeping the
+// order of keys and values in a map or an object.
+type orderedMap struct {
+	// if this is an object, kv != nil. If this is not an object, kv == nil.
+	kv     []orderedMapKV
+	altVal interface{}
+}
+
+type orderedMapKV struct {
+	K string
+	V orderedMap
+}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map_json.go b/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map_json.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..94a1d780
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map_json.go
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+package yqlib
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"io"
+)
+
+func (o *orderedMap) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
+	switch data[0] {
+	case '{':
+		// initialise so that even if the object is empty it is not nil
+		o.kv = []orderedMapKV{}
+
+		// create decoder
+		dec := json.NewDecoder(bytes.NewReader(data))
+		_, err := dec.Token() // open object
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		// cycle through k/v
+		var tok json.Token
+		for tok, err = dec.Token(); err == nil; tok, err = dec.Token() {
+			// we can expect two types: string or Delim. Delim automatically means
+			// that it is the closing bracket of the object, whereas string means
+			// that there is another key.
+			if _, ok := tok.(json.Delim); ok {
+				break
+			}
+			kv := orderedMapKV{
+				K: tok.(string),
+			}
+			if err := dec.Decode(&kv.V); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			o.kv = append(o.kv, kv)
+		}
+		// unexpected error
+		if err != nil && !errors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+			return err
+		}
+		return nil
+	case '[':
+		var res []*orderedMap
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(data, &res); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		o.altVal = res
+		o.kv = nil
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	return json.Unmarshal(data, &o.altVal)
+}
+
+func (o orderedMap) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
+	buf := new(bytes.Buffer)
+	enc := json.NewEncoder(buf)
+	enc.SetEscapeHTML(false) // do not escape html chars e.g. &, <, >
+	if o.kv == nil {
+		if err := enc.Encode(o.altVal); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		return buf.Bytes(), nil
+	}
+	buf.WriteByte('{')
+	for idx, el := range o.kv {
+		if err := enc.Encode(el.K); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		buf.WriteByte(':')
+		if err := enc.Encode(el.V); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		if idx != len(o.kv)-1 {
+			buf.WriteByte(',')
+		}
+	}
+	buf.WriteByte('}')
+	return buf.Bytes(), nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map_yaml.go b/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map_yaml.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b3c49442
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/yqlib/ordered_map_yaml.go
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+package yqlib
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	yaml "gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
+)
+
+func (o *orderedMap) UnmarshalYAML(node *yaml.Node) error {
+	switch node.Kind {
+	case yaml.DocumentNode:
+		if len(node.Content) == 0 {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return o.UnmarshalYAML(node.Content[0])
+	case yaml.AliasNode:
+		return o.UnmarshalYAML(node.Alias)
+	case yaml.ScalarNode:
+		return node.Decode(&o.altVal)
+	case yaml.MappingNode:
+		// set kv to non-nil
+		o.kv = []orderedMapKV{}
+		for i := 0; i < len(node.Content); i += 2 {
+			var key string
+			var val orderedMap
+			if err := node.Content[i].Decode(&key); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			if err := node.Content[i+1].Decode(&val); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			o.kv = append(o.kv, orderedMapKV{
+				K: key,
+				V: val,
+			})
+		}
+		return nil
+	case yaml.SequenceNode:
+		// note that this has to be a pointer, so that nulls can be represented.
+		var res []*orderedMap
+		if err := node.Decode(&res); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		o.altVal = res
+		o.kv = nil
+		return nil
+	case 0:
+		// null
+		o.kv = nil
+		o.altVal = nil
+		return nil
+	default:
+		return fmt.Errorf("orderedMap: invalid yaml node")
+	}
+}
+
+func (o *orderedMap) MarshalYAML() (interface{}, error) {
+	// fast path: kv is nil, use altVal
+	if o.kv == nil {
+		return o.altVal, nil
+	}
+	content := make([]*yaml.Node, 0, len(o.kv)*2)
+	for _, val := range o.kv {
+		n := new(yaml.Node)
+		if err := n.Encode(val.V); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		content = append(content, &yaml.Node{
+			Kind:  yaml.ScalarNode,
+			Tag:   "!!str",
+			Value: val.K,
+		}, n)
+	}
+	return &yaml.Node{
+		Kind:    yaml.MappingNode,
+		Tag:     "!!map",
+		Content: content,
+	}, nil
+}