Paste JSON to format, validate, minify or escape it — with live syntax highlighting and error detection.
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JSON Formatter — Tips & Guide
Use this free JSON formatter to beautify, validate, minify, and escape JSON strings. Ideal for debugging API responses, config files, and data payloads.
Validate Before API Calls
Always paste your JSON payload into the validator before sending API requests. A single misplaced comma or missing brace will cause a parse error on the server side.
Minify for Production
Strip whitespace from JSON before bundling it in your app or sending it over the wire. Minified JSON reduces payload size and speeds up network requests.
Beautify for Debugging
Pretty-printed JSON with 2-space indentation is much easier to scan. Use Format to expand compressed API responses and spot structural issues instantly.
Escape for JS Strings
When embedding JSON inside a JavaScript string or HTML attribute, use the Escape button to replace quotes and backslashes with their escaped equivalents.
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format. It uses human-readable text to store and transmit data as key-value pairs and arrays. JSON is language-independent but uses conventions familiar to C-family programmers and is the de facto standard for REST API payloads.
Paste your JSON string into the input box above. The validator checks it in real time as you type. A green "Valid JSON" badge means the syntax is correct. A red badge shows the exact error message and line number so you can fix it quickly.
JSON is a text format derived from JavaScript object literal syntax, but with stricter rules: all keys must be double-quoted strings, trailing commas are not allowed, and functions/undefined are not valid values. A JavaScript object is a live in-memory data structure, while JSON is a serialized string representation of data that can be sent over a network.
Common JSON errors include: missing or extra commas, single-quoted strings (must use double quotes), trailing commas after the last array item or object property, unescaped special characters inside strings, and mismatched brackets or braces. The validator above shows the line and message from the JavaScript parser, pointing you directly to the problem.