Intro
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a commonly used data format for storing and transporting data. JSON uses a text-based structure using key-value pairs, which facilitates easy data exchange between servers and clients.
Though it was derived from Javscript, JSON is language and platform independent.
JSON Syntax Rules
- Data is in name/value pairs
- Curly braces hold objects
- Square brackets hold arrays
- Multiple values are separated by commas
Example JSON respresentation describing a person:
{
"first_name": "John",
"last_name": "Smith",
"is_alive": true,
"age": 27,
"address": {
"street_address": "21 2nd Street",
"city": "New York",
"state": "NY",
"postal_code": "10021-3100"
},
"phone_numbers": [
{
"type": "home",
"number": "212 555-1234"
},
{
"type": "office",
"number": "646 555-4567"
}
],
"children": [
"Catherine",
"Thomas",
"Trevor"
],
"spouse": null
}Processing JSON
Different programming languages and frameworks provide various ways to generate and parse JSON data.