JSON Formatter

What is a JSON Formatter?

A JSON formatter is a tool that takes messy, unformatted JSON data and converts it into a clean, readable format with proper indentation and line breaks. It also validates that your JSON is syntactically correct.

Why Use a JSON Formatter?

• Readability: Transform minified JSON into human-readable format with proper indentation.
• Validation: Instantly check if your JSON is valid and locate syntax errors.
• Debugging: Make API responses and configuration files easier to read and debug.
• Minification: Reduce JSON file size by removing whitespace for production use.
• Data Analysis: Better understand JSON structure when working with complex data.

JSON Formatter Features

• Beautify JSON: Add proper indentation (2 spaces) and line breaks.
• Minify JSON: Remove all whitespace to minimize file size.
• Validate JSON: Check for syntax errors and display error messages.
• Instant Results: All processing happens in your browser for maximum speed.

Common JSON Errors

• Missing Quotes: Property names must be in double quotes.
• Trailing Commas: JSON doesn't allow commas after the last item.
• Single Quotes: JSON requires double quotes, not single quotes.
• Invalid Values: Only strings, numbers, booleans, null, arrays, and objects are valid.

What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data interchange format that's easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It's the most common format for API responses and configuration files. JSON is also used in authentication tokens like JWT - use our JWT Decoder to inspect JSON Web Tokens.

JSON Format vs Minify

Formatting (beautifying) JSON adds indentation and line breaks for readability. Minifying JSON removes all whitespace to reduce file size. Use beautification during development and minification for production.

JSON Formatting in Programming Languages

Every programming language can format (beautify) and minify JSON. Here are examples:

// Beautify
$formatted = json_encode($data, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT);
// Minify
$minified = json_encode($data);

// Beautify
const formatted = JSON.stringify(data, null, 2);
// Minify
const minified = JSON.stringify(data);

import json
# Beautify
formatted = json.dumps(data, indent=2)
# Minify
minified = json.dumps(data, separators=(',', ':'))

import "encoding/json"
// Beautify
formatted, _ := json.MarshalIndent(data, "", "  ")
// Minify
minified, _ := json.Marshal(data)

import com.google.gson.Gson;
import com.google.gson.GsonBuilder;
// Beautify
Gson gson = new GsonBuilder().setPrettyPrinting().create();
String formatted = gson.toJson(data);

require 'json'
# Beautify
formatted = JSON.pretty_generate(data)
# Minify
minified = JSON.generate(data)

using Newtonsoft.Json;
// Beautify
string formatted = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data, Formatting.Indented);
// Minify
string minified = JsonConvert.SerializeObject(data);