JSON Formatter & Validator

How to Use the JSON Formatter

1. Paste your JSON into the input box on the left.
2. Click "Format / Beautify" to pretty-print the JSON with proper indentation.
3. "Minify" removes all whitespace to compress the JSON.
4. "Sort Keys" alphabetically sorts all object keys.
5. "Validate Only" checks if the JSON is valid without formatting.
6. Copy or Download the result using the buttons above the output.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data format used in APIs and configuration files. Valid JSON requires double-quoted keys and string values, and does not allow trailing commas or comments.

What Is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data interchange format. Despite its name, JSON is language-independent and used across virtually all modern programming languages. It was derived from JavaScript object syntax but has become the dominant format for web APIs, configuration files, and data storage. JSON is human-readable and easy for machines to parse and generate.

JSON Syntax Rules

Objects are enclosed in curly braces {} and contain key-value pairs. Arrays are enclosed in square brackets []. Keys must be strings in double quotes. Values can be strings, numbers, booleans (true/false), null, objects, or arrays. Trailing commas are not allowed. Comments are not part of the JSON specification. Common errors include missing quotes around keys, trailing commas, and using single quotes instead of double quotes.

When to Use a JSON Formatter

API responses often come as minified JSON (no whitespace) to reduce bandwidth. A formatter makes this data readable by adding proper indentation and line breaks. Use this tool to debug API responses, validate JSON configuration files, compare data structures, and prepare JSON for documentation. The validator highlights syntax errors with line numbers so you can quickly fix malformed JSON.