JSON Formatter & Validator

Formatted, colour-highlighted JSON will appear here.

Statistics count every value in the parsed JSON: keys are object property names; strings and numbers include values inside nested objects and arrays. Booleans and nulls are counted in the walk too, even though they do not have their own tile.

Escape / Unescape a JSON String

Paste plain text to turn it into a safely escaped JSON string, or paste an escaped string to read it back as plain text. Handy when you are embedding text, HTML or quotes inside JSON by hand.

What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the standard text format websites and apps use to exchange data — APIs, configuration files, schema markup and WordPress data all speak JSON. It is built from just a few pieces: objects in { }, arrays in [ ], strings in double quotes, numbers, true / false, and null. Because machines read it strictly, one misplaced comma can break a whole file — which is exactly what this validator helps you find and fix.

Common JSON errors

• Trailing commas — a comma after the last item in an object or array: {"a": 1,} is invalid.
• Single quotes — JSON strings must use double quotes: 'text' fails, "text" works.
• Unquoted keys — every key must be a double-quoted string: {name: "x"} fails, {"name": "x"} works.
• Missing commas — items on separate lines still need a comma between them.
• Comments — standard JSON does not allow // or /* */ comments.
• Unescaped characters — quotes, backslashes and line breaks inside a string must be escaped (\", \\, \n). Use the escape tool above.
• Wrong brackets — every { needs a } and every [ needs a ], in the right order.

How to use this tool

• Paste JSON on the left, then choose Format to beautify it, Minify to compress it, or Validate only to just check it.
• If it is invalid, the error panel shows the parser message and, wherever the browser reports a position, the exact line and column with the offending line marked.
• Try the broken sample button to see how error reporting works.