JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of JavaScript syntax and is commonly used for transmitting data in web applications. JSON has become the de facto standard for data exchange on the web, powering APIs, configuration files, and data storage.
JSON is ideal for:
Web APIs: Most modern web APIs use JSON as their primary data format for request and response payloads
Configuration Files: Storing application settings, environment variables, and project configurations
Data Storage: Storing structured data in NoSQL databases like MongoDB and document stores
Data Exchange: Transferring data between different systems, platforms, and programming languages
Human-Readable: Easy to read and write for humans, with a simple and intuitive syntax
Language Independent: Can be used with any programming language, with libraries available for most platforms
Lightweight: Smaller file size compared to XML, making it more efficient for data transfer
Native Support: Built-in support in JavaScript and many other modern programming languages
No Comments: Cannot include comments in JSON data, making documentation within the data structure impossible
No Schema: No built-in schema validation, requiring external tools for data validation
Limited Data Types: Only supports basic data types (strings, numbers, booleans, null, arrays, and objects)