JSON in a Nutshell
JSON stands for JavaScript Object Notation. JSON is a human-readable data interchange format that stores and transmits data. JSON was introduced in December 1999 based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language Standard ECMA-262 3rd Edition. Over the last 20 years, JSON has increased in popularity due to its minimal syntax and its transparent parsing that aids the speed of data delivery. Because of its transferable format, JSON is great to use with API calls and server communication.
JSON object syntax is simple and comprised of data types that are supported by most languages.
- Curly braces {} hold objects that come in key/value pairs. Objects that contain more than one key/value pairs are to be separated by a single comma. For parsing reasons, try to enclose key/value pairs within double-quotes. Within the key field, use underscores, all lowercase, or camel casing when the name is more than one word.
- Square brackets [] hold arrays where if an element is a character, it is contained between quotes. No quotes are necessary when dealing with numbers. Each element is separated by a single comma.
Valid JSON data types include string, number, object, array, boolean, and null. Because JSON supports various data types, its flexibility can effectively articulate the structure of the data that’s being shared or stored.
Though JSON was created as a subset of JavaScript, the format is compatible with most languages, operating systems, and browsers thus increasing its popularity. JSON’s compact format is perfect for exchanging serialized data amongst various technologies.
