JSON Formatter & Minifier
Beautify your JSON for readability or minify it for performance.
How to Use the JSON Formatter
This tool is an essential utility for any developer working with JSON data. It allows you to format JSON for readability or compress it for production environments.
- Paste Your JSON: Enter your JSON data into the text area. The tool will immediately indicate if the JSON is valid.
- Beautify: Click "Beautify / Format" to add indentation and line breaks, making the nested structure clear and easy to read. This is crucial for debugging.
- Minify: Click "Minify" to remove all non-essential whitespace. This creates the most compact version of the JSON, which is ideal for sending over a network to save bandwidth.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: What does it mean for JSON to be "valid"?
A: Valid JSON must follow strict syntax rules. Keys must be double-quoted strings, string values must also be double-quoted, and there can be no trailing commas after the last element in an object or array. This tool will alert you if your input doesn't meet these rules.
Q: Why can't I format my JavaScript object?
A: JSON and JavaScript objects look similar but are not the same. JSON is more strict. For example, in JSON, keys must be in double quotes (`"key": "value"`), whereas in JavaScript they don't have to be (`key: "value"`). This tool only works with valid JSON.