What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data format that is used for the cross-platform exchange of structured data. Even though JSON is not a standardized official standard, you need to know this very widespread notation for structured data.

JSON is not a programming language, but a text-based syntax for representing structured data.

You can define data structures with a JSON file and use the JSON files as a format for cross-technology data exchange.

In all of this, JSON technology is based on the concepts of established programming languages.

Why do I need JSON?

JSON is used to exchange data between different applications, platforms or devices. It is a central tool in modern web development, especially for communication between the front end and back end. Examples of this are

  • APIs: JSON is the standard format for most RESTful APIs.
  • Databases: Many NoSQL databases, such as MongoDB, store data directly in JSON-like formats.
  • Configuration files: The established standard is often used for app and software configurations.
  • Data integration: The JSON data format facilitates the exchange of information between different programming languages and systems.

What advantages does JSON offer for data exchange?

JSON offers numerous advantages for data exchange. For this purpose Douglas Crockford – the inventor of the JSON format – made the following design decisions when specifying the JSON notation:

  • Easy to read and write: for both humans and machines.
  • Compact: The text-based format is minimalistic and reduces data overhead.
  • Universal: JSON is supported by almost all modern programming languages and frameworks.
  • Flexible: JSON allows data structures to be nested, enabling complex data sets to be represented.
  • Efficient: JSON notation is easy for machines to parse. Parsing and serialization of JSON data is fast and resource-efficient.
  • JavaScript object notation supports the interoperability of (web) technologies and a wide variety of components
    the notation is ideal for analyzing data structures
  • JSON formats are particularly easy to generate the design pattern is based on the JavaScript programming language
    and supports the Standard ECMA-262

Space / Whitespace

Spaces can be inserted between JSON elements as required.

Apart from a few encoding details, this definition already describes the basic syntax of JSON.

💡 Understand JSON in just 5 minutes!

JSON is the most important data format for web development, APIs and modern databases. In this video, you’ll get a concise introduction to JSON syntax, objects, arrays and best practices.

Watch our JSON tutorial to the end to see a real-world JSON example in action!

For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Datenschutzerklärung.

📌 JSON vs. XML – What is the difference?

JSON has replaced XML as the preferred data format for many web applications. But why?

Feature JSON XML
Readability Simple for people & machines More complex, more overhead
Syntax Key-value pairs Tags & Attributs
Structure Arrays, Objects Tree structure
Parsing Very fast Slower due to complex processing
Typing no direct support  Supports data types

Conclusion: The JSON format is much more efficient for modern web development, while XML is still used in certain legacy systems.

Which JSON properties enable these advantages?

JSON is a text format. As a text-based data format, it is completely independent of programming languages.

Why is JSON so easy to use?

JSON is based on established conventions from widely used programming languages such as JavaScript, PythonJava and C++. This means that if you have already worked with one of these languages, you can understand JSON intuitively and use it directly. Thanks to its simple but powerful structure, JSON enables: ✅ Quick understanding & easy readability: even without programming knowledge, JSON is intuitive to understand. ✅ Seamless integration: JSON can be easily integrated into various programming languages and systems. ✅ Efficient data processing: JSON is compact, reduces overhead and can be processed particularly quickly by modern applications. These advantages make JSON the preferred standard for data exchange in modern web, API and database applications. At the same time, a large number of software developers are already directly familiar with JSON concepts. All these properties together make JSON the ideal format for data exchange.

JSON - JavaScript Object Notation

JSON – JavaScript Object Notation

How does JSON work for data exchange?

JSON formats are based on two data structures:

1. name and value pairs

In various programming languages, a combination of a name with a value pair is called a

  • an object,
  • Record,
  • Structure (struct),
  • Dictionary or directory,
  • Hash table (hash table),
  • keyed list (keyed list) or as
  • an associative array (associative array)

realized.

2. ordered list of values

In most languages, ordered lists of values are called

  • Array (array),
  • Vector (vector),
  • List (list) or
  • Sequence

implemented. JSON uses two basic data structures:

  1. Name/value pairs – e.g. {"name": "Sandra", "age": 30}
  2. Ordered lists of values – e.g. [10, 20, 30, 40]

These structures make it possible to display data hierarchically and modularly.

📌 JSON in modernen NoSQL-Datenbanken

JSON-Formate spielen eine zentrale Rolle in NoSQL-Datenbanken wie MongoDB und CouchDB. Diese Datenbanken speichern Dokumente in JSON-ähnlicher Form und ermöglichen so flexible, schemafreie Datenstrukturen.

📌 JSON-Schema – Validierung und Strukturierung von JSON-Daten

JSON-Schema ist eine mächtige Erweiterung von JSON, die ermöglicht:
✅ Die Struktur von JSON-Daten zu definieren
✅ Pflichtfelder & Datentypen zu erzwingen
✅ Datenvalidierung für APIs und Datenbanken

Beispiel für ein JSON Schema:

{
"$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": { "type": "string" },
"age": { "type": "integer", "minimum": 0 },
"email": { "type": "string", "format": "email" }
},
"required": ["name", "email"]
}

Universal JSON data structures support interoperability

Both are universal JSON data structures that are therefore supported by almost all modern programming languages.

Interchangeable data formats between programming languages & web technologies

JSON structures enable us programmers to use a data format that is interchangeable between programming languages and is also based on these familiar structures.

JSON objects

A JSON object is an unordered set of name/value pairs.

  • Each object begins with {curved bracket open and ends with }curved bracket close.
  • Each name is followed by a :colon followed by the value and
  • The individual name/value pairs are separated from each other by ,comma.

JSON array

An array is an ordered list of values.

  • Arrays begin with [ squarebracket open and end with ] squarebracket close.
  • Values are separated from each other by ,comma.

JSON values

A value can be an object, an array, a string, a number or one of the expressions true, false or null be. These structures can be nested within one another.

JSON string

A string is a character string and consists of no (empty character string) or more Unicode characters.

  • Each string is enclosed in double quotation marks.
  • A character string can contain escape sequences with a special meaning.
  • A single character is represented by a character string consisting of only one character.
  • A JSON string is very similar to one in C or Java.

JSON number

A number in JSON format is very similar to a number in C or Java, with the exception that octal and hexadecimal numbers are not used.

JSON in practice

JSON applications you should know:

  • Web APIs: Here it enables seamless communication between server and client.
  • Databases: In NoSQL databases such as MongoDB, JSON documents are stored as native data structures.
  • Data visualization: JSON files are often used as input for tools such as D3.js.

JSON and APIs

The JSON format is the established standard for most REST APIs, as it is easy to serialize and parse. Example:

 

Example 1: Nested JSON object with arrays

{
    "name": "Sandra",
    "age": 30,
    "address": {
        "street": "Berliner Straße 12",
        "city": "Berlin",
        "zip": "10115"
    },
    "skills": [
        {
            "name": "JavaScript",
            "proficiency": "Expert"
        },
        {
            "name": "Python",
            "proficiency": "Advanced"
        },
        {
            "name": "Java",
            "proficiency": "Intermediate"
        }
    ],
    "isAvailableForHire": true
}

Example 2: JSON array with objects

[
    {
        "fruit": "apple",
        "color": "red",
        "available": true
    },
    {
        "fruit": "banana",
        "color": "yellow",
        "available": false
    },
    {
        "fruit": "cherry",
        "color": "dark red",
        "available": true
    }
]
For privacy reasons YouTube needs your permission to be loaded. For more details, please see our Datenschutzerklärung.

Rock the Prototype Podcast

The Rock the Prototype Podcast and the Rock the Prototype YouTube channel are the perfect place to go if you want to delve deeper into the world of web development, prototyping and technology.

🎧 Listen on Spotify: 👉 Spotify Podcast: https://bit.ly/41pm8rL

🍎 Enjoy on Apple Podcasts: 👉 https://bit.ly/4aiQf8t

In the podcast, you can expect exciting discussions and valuable insights into current trends, tools and best practices – ideal for staying on the ball and gaining fresh perspectives for your own projects. On the YouTube channel, you’ll find practical tutorials and step-by-step instructions that clearly explain technical concepts and help you get straight into implementation.

Rock the Prototype YouTube Channel

🚀 Rock the Prototype is 👉 Your format for exciting topics such as software development, prototyping, software architecture, cloud, DevOps & much more.

📺 👋 Rock the Prototype YouTube Channel 👈  👀 

✅ Software development & prototyping

✅ Learning to program

✅ Understanding software architecture

✅ Agile teamwork

✅ Test prototypes together

THINK PROTOTYPING – PROTOTYPE DESIGN – PROGRAM & GET STARTED – JOIN IN NOW!

Why is it worth checking back regularly?

Both formats complement each other perfectly: in the podcast, you can learn new things in a relaxed way and get inspiring food for thought, while on YouTube you can see what you have learned directly in action and receive valuable tips for practical application.

Whether you’re just starting out in software development or are passionate about prototyping, UX design or IT security. We offer you new technology trends that are really relevant – and with the Rock the Prototype format, you’ll always find relevant content to expand your knowledge and take your skills to the next level!