JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a data interchange format, based on a subset of the JavaScript 🗒️ scripting language standard 🌐. Its created purpose was to be a format that was easy for humans to read and write, and accomplishes this by being built on two common programming structures:

1. A Collection of Name/Value Pairs — known in most languages as an:

   • object
   • record
   • struct
   • dictionary
   • hash table
   • keyed list
   • or associative array

2. An Ordered List of Values — known in most languages as:

   • array
   • vector
   • list
   • or sequence

Its use is very common across data interchange, but especially between web applications and servers. This means that although JSON is based on JavaScript, it is completely language independent. Many programming languages provide methods / libraries to generate or parse JSON-format data.

Syntax

Universal Syntax:

• JSON files use the file extension .json
• The entire file is considered an object, meaning its contents are wrapped in {curly braces}
• Each name is followed by a :colon
• Each name/value pair is separated by a ,comma
• Values can be integers, strings, arrays, or even nested objects

Parser Dependent: (only available in some parsers)

• Comments are made in the C 🗒️ style with //double slashes
• Trailing ,commas are allowed, even on the last name/value pair

For general use, it is considered best practice to stick to universal JSON syntax rules to avoid parser errors or bugs.

Example

aboutMe.json

{
  "firstName": "Gesty",
  "lastName": "Linaga",
  "location": {
    "Country": "United States",
    "State": "California",
  },
  "hobbies": [
    { 
      "hobby": "surfing",
      "category": "physical"
    },
    {
      "hobby": "coding",
      "category": "creative"
    }
  ],
  "instrumentsIPlay": [
    "bass",
    "guitar",
    "drums...sometimes"
  ]
}

More External Links

• JSON.org 🌐
• Wikipedia Page 🌐