Data Formats
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What is JSON?
Definition
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight, text-based data interchange format. It uses key-value pairs and ordered lists to represent structured data. JSON is language-independent but uses conventions familiar to C-family languages.
Why It Matters
JSON is the dominant data format for REST APIs, configuration files, and web communication. Every modern programming language can parse and generate JSON. Understanding JSON syntax rules prevents 90% of API integration debugging issues.
Code Example
{
"name": "Alice",
"age": 30,
"skills": ["Python", "JavaScript"],
"active": true
}Language: json
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between JSON and a JavaScript object?
JSON is a text format — keys must be double-quoted strings, and values cannot include functions or undefined. JavaScript objects are in-memory data structures that allow unquoted keys, single-quoted strings, functions, and more.