IconJSON Formatter

Input

Output

About Online JSON Formatter

💡Need to clean up JSON data? Our free online formatter instantly beautifies, validates, and minifies JSON—ideal for debugging APIs, analyzing configurations, and team collaboration. 🚀 Supports files up to 10MB.

⭐ Why Choose Our JSON Formatter

  • 👁️ Real-time formatting with syntax highlighting
  • 🔍Error detection with line-number precision
  • 📋One-click copy/download formatted JSON
  • ⚙️ Support for 2-space, 4-space, or tab indentation
  • 🔒100% client-side processing (no data leaves your browser)
  • 🌗Dark/light mode for comfortable viewing

🔧 How JSON Formatting Works: Step-by-Step Guide for json-formatter

1

Input Validation

🔍 Tool checks for syntax errors in the JSON

2

Structure Analysis

📊 Parses JSON into abstract syntax tree

3

Formatting Application

🎨 Applies indentation and line breaks

4

Output Generation

📤 Produces beautified or minified output

⚙ ️ Technical Specifications

📝Supported JSON Standards

Compliant with RFC 8259:

FeatureSupportNotes
Data TypesAll (String, Number, Boolean, Null, Array, Object)✅ Full
Nesting DepthUnlimited🌳 Handles deep structures
UnicodeYes🔤 Supports emojis, non-Latin chars
JSON5Partial⭐ Supports comments in non-strict mode

📈Performance Metrics

Formatting speed comparison:

File SizeFormatting Time
1 KB⚡ <50ms
1 00KB⚡ <300ms
1 MB⏳ <1.5s
1 0MB⏳ <8s

❗Error Detection

Identifies common JSON issues:

Error TypeExampleFix
Trailing comma{"a":1,}Remove last comma
Unclosed quote{"a:1}Add closing quote
Invalid number{"a":1.2.3}Fix decimal format

💻 Command Line Alternatives

Format JSON in your terminal:

🐧Linux/macOS

🔤Format JSON file

jq '.' input.json > formatted.json

Using jq for formatting

📉Minify JSON

jq -c '.' input.json > minified.json

Compact output

🪟Windows

🔌PowerShell format

ConvertTo-Json (Get-Content raw.json) -Depth 100 | Set-Content formatted.json

Native PowerShell method

⌨️ CMD validate

python -m json.tool < input.json

Using Python's JSON module

🛠 ️ Practical Applications

🌐API Development

  • 🐞Debug REST/GraphQL responses
  • 🔍Identify missing fields
  • 📊Analyze AWS/GCP API outputs
// Before: {"data":{"user":123}}
// After: {
//   "data": {
//     "user": 123
//   }
// }

📂Configuration Files

  • ⚙️ Format package.json
  • 🛠️ Clean up tsconfig.json
  • 📝Organize .eslintrc
{"extends":"eslint:recommended","rules":{"semi":["error","always"]}}

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

❓ How do I fix invalid JSON?

Our tool highlights errors like missing commas or unclosed brackets with line-number precision. Hover over errors for quick fixes!

📦 Can I format huge JSON files?

Browser-based tools struggle with >10MB files. For big data: - Use CLI tools like `jq` - Split into smaller chunks - Process server-side

🔐 Is my JSON data secure?

100% client-side processing—your data never leaves your browser. For sensitive data: - Use offline tools - Disable internet during processing

💬 Does it support JSON with comments?

⭐ Enable 'Non-Strict Mode' to handle JSON5 (with // or /* */ comments). Note: Not valid standard JSON.

Pro Tips

💡Best Practice

Use `Ctrl+Alt+L` (Windows) or `Cmd+Opt+L` (Mac) to format JSON in most IDEs

⚡Best Practice

Minify JSON before sending via APIs to reduce bandwidth usage

🔍Best Practice

Enable syntax highlighting in your editor for better JSON readability

Additional Resources

📜Official JSON Standard
Technical specification
📚JSON Schema Guide
Documentation
📋JSON Formatting Cheat Sheet
Quick reference

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