JSON Frequently Asked Questions

JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) is a plain text format used to store structured data in JavaScript derived data format. JSON was designed by Douglas Crockford while his work in State Software. JSON at that time was designed to exchange application state information between web application and back-end server. Get more information about JSON.

JSON files are plain text and could be opened by any text editor. Still it is easier to edit editors optimized for JSON. This includes Microsoft Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, XCode. You can also use one of the online JSON Editors.

No, JSON files are plain text. A binary form of JSON is called BSON (Binary JSON).

Yes, JSON could be converted to multiple compatible data formats including YAML, XML, BSON. It can also be converted to other structured data formats like CSV and Excel with data structure changes. You can use one of the convertors on our JSON convertors page.

You can create JSON file in any text editor. You can also create it in a desktop software like Microsoft Visual Studio Code, XCode, Notepad++, Sublime Text. Or you can use specialized online JSON editor described on our online JSON editors page. There are also various types of JSON files which are easier created or modified by an application which is going to use them.

JSON and XML each have their strengths. JSON is generally more lightweight, easier to read, and faster to parse. XML offers more features like namespaces and schema validation. For most modern web applications, JSON is preferred due to its simplicity and native JavaScript support.

Yes, JSON can handle large files, but keep in mind that parsing very large JSON files can be memory-intensive. For extremely large datasets, consider streaming parsers or alternative formats like JSON Lines (JSONL) where each line is a separate JSON object.

While JSON syntax is based on JavaScript object notation, there are key differences: JSON requires double quotes for strings and property names, doesn't support functions, undefined values, or comments. JSON is purely a data format, while JavaScript objects are part of the programming language.