📋 JSON Formatter
Validate, format, beautify and minify JSON data with ease
Formatter Options
Validation Status
Input JSON
Formatted JSON
Features
JSON Formatting
Beautify and format JSON with customizable indentation
Validation
Real-time JSON validation with detailed error messages
Minification
Remove whitespace to reduce file size
Copy to Clipboard
Easily copy formatted or minified JSON
Character Count
Track input and output character counts
Sample Data
Load sample JSON data for testing
What is JSON?
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data interchange format that's easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. Despite its name suggesting a connection to JavaScript, JSON is language-independent and widely used across all modern programming languages.
JSON Advantages
- •Lightweight and fast to parse
- •Human-readable format
- •Language-independent
- •Native support in JavaScript
- •Wide adoption in APIs
- •Supports nested data structures
Common Use Cases
- •REST API responses and requests
- •Configuration files
- •Data storage and transmission
- •Ajax web applications
- •NoSQL databases
- •Mobile app development
JSON Syntax and Data Types
Supported Data Types
String
"Hello World" Text data enclosed in double quotes
Number
42, 3.14, -17, 1.2e+3 Integer or floating-point numbers
Boolean
true, false Logical true or false values
Null
null Represents empty or no value
Data Structures
Object
{
"name": "John",
"age": 30
}Key-value pairs enclosed in curly braces
Array
[1, 2, 3]
["red", "green", "blue"]Ordered list of values in square brackets
JSON vs Other Data Formats
| Feature | JSON | XML | YAML | CSV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File Size | Small | Large | Small | Very Small |
| Readability | High | Medium | Very High | Medium |
| Parsing Speed | Fast | Slow | Medium | Fast |
| Data Types | Rich | Text-based | Rich | Limited |
| Nested Data | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
JSON Best Practices
✅ Do's
Use meaningful key names
Choose descriptive, camelCase property names
Validate JSON structure
Always validate JSON before processing
Use consistent data types
Keep the same data type for similar fields
Handle null values properly
Use null instead of empty strings when appropriate
❌ Don'ts
Don't use trailing commas
JSON doesn't allow trailing commas after the last element
Don't use single quotes
Always use double quotes for strings and keys
Don't include comments
JSON specification doesn't support comments
Don't use undefined values
Use null instead of undefined for missing values
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between formatting and minifying JSON?
Formatting (beautifying) adds proper indentation and line breaks to make JSON human-readable. Minifying removes all unnecessary whitespace to reduce file size, making it more efficient for data transmission.
Why do I get JSON parsing errors?
Common causes include trailing commas, single quotes instead of double quotes, unescaped characters in strings, missing commas between elements, or invalid data types. Use our validator to identify and fix these issues.
Can JSON handle binary data?
JSON doesn't directly support binary data. Binary data must be encoded (typically using Base64) as a string before including it in JSON. This increases the size but maintains JSON compatibility.
Is there a size limit for JSON?
JSON itself has no size limit, but practical limitations exist. Web browsers, servers, and APIs may impose their own limits. For large datasets, consider pagination or streaming approaches.
How do I handle special characters in JSON?
Special characters must be escaped using backslashes: \" for quotes, \\ for backslash, \n for newline, \t for tab, etc. Unicode characters can be represented as \uXXXX where XXXX is the hex code.