JSON Formatter

Format and validate JSON documents with syntax highlighting

Overview

A powerful online JSON formatter and validator that helps you format, validate, and beautify your JSON data. This tool supports various formatting options and provides real-time error detection to ensure your JSON is valid and well-structured.

Key Benefits

  • Instant JSON formatting with customizable indentation
  • Real-time syntax validation and error detection
  • Support for large JSON files with efficient processing
  • Copy formatted JSON to clipboard with a single click
  • Download formatted JSON as a file
  • Cross-platform compatibility

Primary Use Cases

  • Debugging and troubleshooting JSON data
  • Preparing API documentation
  • Cleaning up minified JSON
  • Validating JSON configuration files

Features

Main Features

  • Real-time JSON validation and formatting
  • Customizable indentation (2-8 spaces)
  • Error highlighting with detailed messages
  • Support for large JSON files
  • Copy to clipboard functionality
  • File upload and download support
  • Dark mode support

Technical Specifications

  • Handles JSON files up to 50MB
  • Preserves Unicode characters
  • Maintains number precision
  • Supports nested structures up to 100 levels deep

How It Works

The JSON formatter uses a sophisticated parsing and formatting engine to process your JSON data. It first validates the input to ensure it's valid JSON, then applies formatting rules to create clean, readable output.

Steps

  1. Paste or upload your JSON data into the input field
  2. The tool automatically validates the JSON syntax
  3. If valid, the formatted output appears in real-time
  4. Adjust indentation settings as needed
  5. Copy the formatted result or download as a file

Limitations

  • Maximum file size: 50MB
  • Maximum nesting depth: 100 levels
  • Circular references are not supported

Use Cases

Common Scenarios

  • Debugging API responses
  • Formatting configuration files
  • Preparing documentation
  • Code review and sharing
  • Data validation and verification

Industry Applications

  • Web Development: API testing and documentation
  • DevOps: Configuration management and debugging
  • Data Analysis: JSON data preparation and validation
  • Quality Assurance: Data validation and testing

Examples

Basic JSON Formatting

Simple example of formatting a JSON object with nested properties

Input:

{"name":"John Doe","age":30,"address":{"street":"123 Main St","city":"Boston","country":"USA"},"hobbies":["reading","hiking"]}

Output:

{
  "name": "John Doe",
  "age": 30,
  "address": {
    "street": "123 Main St",
    "city": "Boston",
    "country": "USA"
  },
  "hobbies": [
    "reading",
    "hiking"
  ]
}

Complex Nested Structure

Formatting a complex JSON object with multiple nesting levels

Input:

{"users":[{"id":1,"name":"John","settings":{"theme":"dark","notifications":{"email":true,"push":false}}}],"metadata":{"version":"1.0","timestamp":1632558732}}

Output:

{
  "users": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "name": "John",
      "settings": {
        "theme": "dark",
        "notifications": {
          "email": true,
          "push": false
        }
      }
    }
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "version": "1.0",
    "timestamp": 1632558732
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

What is JSON formatting?

JSON formatting is the process of adding proper indentation and line breaks to JSON data to make it more readable while maintaining its validity and structure.

Does formatting change my JSON data?

No, formatting only changes the presentation of your JSON data. The underlying data structure and values remain exactly the same.

What happens if my JSON is invalid?

The tool will highlight the error and provide a detailed error message explaining what's wrong and where the error occurs in your JSON.

Can I format minified JSON?

Yes, you can paste minified JSON and the formatter will add proper indentation and line breaks to make it readable.

Tips & Best Practices

Best Practices

  • Always validate JSON before using it in production
  • Use consistent indentation throughout your project
  • Keep JSON structures reasonably flat when possible
  • Use meaningful key names for better readability
  • Consider using compression for large JSON files

Common Pitfalls

  • Forgetting to handle escaped characters properly
  • Not validating JSON before parsing
  • Ignoring number precision issues
  • Using comments in JSON (they're not valid)
  • Creating circular references

Technical Details

Supported Formats

  • Standard JSON (RFC 8259)
  • JSON with comments (stripped during formatting)
  • Unicode-encoded JSON
  • Minified JSON

Limitations

  • Maximum file size: 50MB
  • Maximum nesting depth: 100 levels
  • Maximum string length: 100MB

Browser Compatibility

  • Works in all modern browsers
  • Chrome 60+
  • Firefox 60+
  • Safari 12+
  • Edge 79+

Security & Privacy

Data Handling

  • All processing is done locally in your browser
  • No data is sent to any servers
  • No data is stored or cached
  • Files are processed in memory only

Privacy Considerations

  • No cookies are used for formatting
  • No tracking or analytics in the tool itself
  • No data collection of any kind
  • Open source code for transparency

Resources & References

Documentation

References